太白 : Taibai : Supreme White

Location Guides:

Classifications:

Shu-Stream and Earth point
Yuan-Source point
Horary point of the Spleen channel

Trigger point (Travell & Simons, 1998, Trigger Point Manual)

Location:

On the medial side of the foot in the depression proximal and inferior to the head of the first metatarsal bone.

Needling:

Perpendicular insertion 0.5 - 1 cun

Classical Needling:

"The Taiyin usually has much Qi and little Blood" (Su Wen 素問 ch. 24) implying this channel should normally be needled.
"The foot Taiyin is to be pierced 3 fen deep and remain inserted for four exhalations" (Ling Shu 靈樞 ch. 12).
"It is needled to a depth of three fen, (the needle) is retained for a duration of seven exhalations, and it is moxaed with three cones" (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經).

TCM Actions:

Tonifies the Spleen and resolves Dampness and Damp-heat
Harmonises the Spleen and Stomach
Regulates Qi

TCM Indications:

• Deficiency of the Spleen and Stomach, heaviness of the body with pain of the bones, oppressive sensation of the four limbs, Leg Qi (腳氣, Jiao Qi), borborygmus, borborygmus with stabbing pain, diarrhoea, undigested food in the stool, diarrhoea with pus and blood, Dysenteric Disorder (痢疾, Li Ji), constipation, haemorrhoids.
  
• Cutting pain of the abdomen, pain of the abdomen, distension of the abdomen, distension of the epigastrium, pain of the epigastrium, pain of the epigastrium and Heart, distension of the chest and lateral costal region, vomiting, hunger with no pleasure in eating, Sudden Turmoil (霍亂, Huo Luan) Disorder with hands and feet counterflow cold.
  
• Febrile disease with fullness and oppression and inability to lie down, febrile disease that begins with heaviness of the head, pain of the forehead, heat in the body with agitation and fullness.
  
• Pain of the knee and thigh, joint pains, lumbar pain, atrophy disorder.

I Ching Hexagram:

䷳ Gen 艮 Mountain & ䷖ Bo 剝 Splitting apart, stripping away

Elementally shared with Zusanli St-36. Balanced by ䷹ (Shangyang LI-1 or Jingqu Lu-8).
As a Source point, shared with Fenglong St-40 and balanced by ䷪ (Lieque Lu-7 and Hegu LI-4).
Also shares a Rising and Falling Hexagram with Shenque Ren-8, balanced by Taodao Du-13.

Hexagram attributions are my own with an explanation given in the glossary.

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: Superficial peroneal nerve from L4 - S1

Dermatome Segment: L4

Trigger Point Associations:

Muscle:
Flexor hallucis brevis

Pain Referral Pattern:
To head of first metatarsal with spillover to great toe

Indications:
Diseases of the foot

Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

Striking this point will cause immediate great pain resulting in Qi drainage at the point from the upper chest right down to the foot and a shock to the whole system which in many cases can cause knock out. As an Earth, Yuan and Shu-Stream point, the long term affects are, easy bruising, lack of memory and muscle problems such as cramps, atrophy etc (Montaigue, Dim Mak Locations, Taijiworld.com).

Major Combinations:

• Heat disease accompanied with spontaneous sweating which is in accordance with the norms and further sweating is indicated: Taibai Sp-3, Taiyuan Lu-9, Yuji Lu-10 and Dadu Sp-2. Draining these points makes the Heat disappear, supplementation here makes a sweat emit. If sweating is extreme then Sanyinjiao Sp-6 ends it
    (Anon, 400BC-260AD: Huang Di Nei Jing Ling Shu, 黃帝內經靈樞, Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic: Spiritual Pivot, Ch. 23, On Heat Diseases).
  
  
• Severe Heart pain accompanied by distended abdomen and fullness in the chest, associated with the Stomach:
    Taibai Sp-3 with Dadu Sp-2
    (Anon, 400BC-260AD: Huang Di Nei Jing Ling Shu, 黃帝內經靈樞, Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic: Spiritual Pivot, Ch. 24, On Counterflow Diseases).
  
  
• Sudden Turmoil Disorder:
    Taibai Sp-3 with Zusanli St-36
    (Anon, 400BC-260AD: Huang Di Nei Jing Ling Shu, 黃帝內經靈樞, Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic: Spiritual Pivot Ch. 34, On the Five Disturbances).
  
  
• Undigested food in the stool:
    Taibai Sp-3 with Fuai Sp-16
    (Wang Zhizhong, 王執中, 1220: Zhen Jiu Zi Sheng Jing, 針灸資生經, Classic of Supporting Life with Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Borborygmus:
    Taibai Sp-3 with Gongsun Sp-4, Dachangshu Bl-25 and Sanjiaoshu Bl-22
    (Wang Zhizhong, 王執中, 1220: Zhen Jiu Zi Sheng Jing, 針灸資生經, Classic of Supporting Life with Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Sudden Turmoil Disorder:
    Taibai Sp-3 with Yinlingquan Sp-9, Chengshan Bl-57 and Jiexi St-41
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Diarrhoea and Dysenteric Disorder with pus and blood:
    Taibai Sp-3 with Xiajuxu St-39 and Youmen Kid-21
    (Wang Zhizhong, 王執中, 1220: Zhen Jiu Zi Sheng Jing, 針灸資生經, Classic of Supporting Life with Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Blood in the stool:
    Taibai Sp-3 with Chengshan Bl-57, Fuliu Kid-7 and Taichong Liv-3
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Constipation:
    Taibai Sp-3 with Zhaohai Kid-6 and Zhangmen Liv-13
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Constipation:
    Taibai Sp-3 with Zhaohai Kid-6, Zhangmend Liv-13 and Zhigou SJ-6
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Difficult defecation:
    Taibai Sp-3 with Zhongzhu Kid-15
    (Haungfu Mi, 皇甫謐, 282: Zhen Jiu Jia Yi Jing, 針灸甲乙經, Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Pain of intestinal abscess:
    Taibai Sp-3 with Xiangu St-43 and Dachangshu Bl-25
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Abdominal distention, undigested food in the stool and drum distention with great fullness:
    Taibai Sp-3 with Gongsun Sp-4
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).
  
  
• Abdominal distention leading to back pain:
    Taibai Sp-3 with Taichong Liv-3
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Drum distention:
    Taibai Sp-3 with Fuliu Kid-7, Gongsun Sp-4, Zhongfeng Liv-4 and Shuifen Ren-9
    (Wang Weiyi, 王惟一, 1026: Tong Ren Zhen Jiu Shu Xue Tu Jing, 銅人針灸俞穴圖經, Illustrated Classic of Acupuncture Points on the Bronze Man).
  
  
• Lumbar pain woith inability to bend and extend:
    Taibai Sp-3 with Weiyang Bl-39, Yinmen Bl-37, Yinlingquan Sp-9 and Xingjian Liv-2
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).

Notes:

Ling Shu Ch. 1, On the Nine Needles and the Twelve Origins, describes this point as the origin of the Zhiyin (至陰, Extreme Yin) in the Yin.

Ling Shu Ch. 6 suggests piercing the Ying and Shu points of the Yin channels if a disease is in the Yin of the Yin realm (e.g. the Zang organs) suggesting this point and Dadu Sp-2 in diseases of the Spleen.

Ling Shu Ch. 9, On Ends and Beginnings, advises that in the case of Heat associated with receding Yin Qi the Yang conduit should be pierced once and the Yin conduits twice. Based on other recommendation to use the He-Sea of the Yang conduits (Ch. 19) and the Yuan-Source with the Ying-Spring points (Chs. 6, 19 and 24) to clear Heat from the Zangfu, that would suggest this point, Zusanli St-36 and Dadu Sp-2 as a protocol to clear Heat in the Stomach/Spleen. Next it advises that in Cold associated with receding Yang Qi the Yang should be pierced twice and the Yin once but no such obvious protocol is evident for this situation. Another interpretation that would match with common practice today, based on the idea of odd numbers being Yang/moving/clearing while even numbers are Yin/tonifying/reinforcing, is that the points on the channel to be cleared are pierced on one side only while those on the channel to be tonified are pierced bilaterally.

Ling Shu Ch. 19, on the Four Seasonal Qi, advises using the Shu-Stream points, unless the diseases are in the Fu organs, in which case the He-Sea points are chosen.

Ling Shu Ch. 44, On the Qi Moving in Accordance with the Norms, indicates that the Shu-Stream points should be pierced in summer or when the disease becomes milder and then more severe again. The seasonal aspect should not be interpreted literally as it describes the time periods of weakness and severity as "controlled by summer". It also describes the morning, afternoon, evening and night cycle of the day to be like the four seasons of the year with afternoon corresponding to summer.

Liu Lihong (2019: 482, Classical Chinese Medicine) relates Tai Bai to the Great White Heavenly Star of the West and therefore Metal in the Journey to the West. This would suggest that this point has an influence on the Lungs and Large Intestine too.

Taibai is also an ancient name for the planet Venus.

Taibai is also a mountain in Shaanxi province, possibly referring to the bony protuberance at this point.

Reference Notes:

Basic information on location, needle depth, TCM actions, indications and combinations is taken from Deadman et al (2001): A Manual of Acupuncture with additional anatomical information researched by reference to Gray's Anatomy (38th Ed., 1995) unless otherwise referenced. Images were found on acupunctureschoolonline.com and can be traced back to Claudia Focks (2008) Atlas of Acupuncture originally. I cannot claim any credit or rights over them. Other sources should be quoted in the text.

For some of the more unusual terms I have created a glossary here