梁門 : Liangmen : Beam Gate

Location Guides:

Location:

On the abdomen, 2 cun lateral to the midline and 4 cun superior to the umbilicus, level with Zhongwan Ren-12.

Needling:

Perpendicular insertion 1 - 1.5 cun

Warnings:

In thin subjects, deep needling may penetrate the peritoneal cavity Deep needling at right Liangmen St-21 may penetrate an enlarged liver

Classical Needling:

"The Yangming usually has much Qi and much Blood" (Su Wen 素問 ch. 24) implying this channel can normally be needled or bled.
"The foot Yangming is to be pierced 6 fen deep and remain inserted for ten exhalations" (Ling Shu 靈樞 ch. 12).
"It is needled to a depth of eight fen and moxaed with five cones" (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經).

TCM Actions:

Regulates Qi and alleviates pain
Harmonises the Middle Jiao and transforms stagnation
Raises the Qi and stops diarrhoea

TCM Indications:

• Epigastric pain, qi accumulation in the lateral costal region, qi accumulation below the chest, abdominal distension.
  
• Vomiting, poor appetite, borborygmus, slippery diarrhoea, undigested food in the stool.

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: Cutaneous branches of thoracic nerves from T8

Dermatome Segment: T8

Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

This point is somewhat protected by the abdominal muscles but it is an "electrical point" so will cause great local pain and Qi drainage if struck. It also creates Stomach and Spleen problems due to its affect upon the Yang Qi of those organs (Montaigue, Dim Mak Locations, Taijiworld.com).

Notes:

In Bo's Method and Feng's Nine Palaces abdominal acupuncture, this point is located in the region associated with ☴ Xun, Wind and the southeast on the right; and ☷ Kun, Earth and the southwest on the left.

In Bo's Method these areas are associated with the Liver and Gallbladder on the right, and the Spleen and Stomach on the left. In Feng's Nine Palaces method this region is associated with the upper limb on the same side (Schelbert, 2014, Ryan, 2009).

The Stomach Shu are a proposed set of points that complement the Breast Shu. They are level with the Chest Shu and Front Mu points on the abdomen and receive the Blood and Ying Qi created through the action of the Spleen and Lung, via the Breast Shu, to distribute among the Zangfu. Whereas the Back Shu and Chest Shu deliver Yang and Yin Yuan Qi through the Bladder and Kidney Channels to the Zangfu, these points are focused specifically on postnatal Qi.

This point would be associated with the Stomach, being in line with Zhongwan Ren-12 and its indications being mainly digestive with indigestion, reflux, vomiting and diarrhoea with undigested food suggesting a weakness of the downbearing and "rotting and ripening" function of the Stomach.

In Tibetan medicine:
Moxa point (AMNH, Tibetan Medical Paintings)

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