解谿 : Jiexi : Stream Divide

Location Guides:

Classifications:

Jing-River and Fire point
Mother point of the Stomach channel

Location:

On the ankle, level with the prominence of the lateral malleolus, in a depression between the tendons of extensor hallucis longus and extensor digitorum longus

Needling:

Perpendicular insertion 0.5 cun, or oblique insertion beneath the tendons to join with Shangqiu Sp-5 medially or Qiuxi GB-40 laterally

Warnings:

The anterior tibial vessels and nerve lie deep to this point

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 five fen, (the needle) is retained for a duration of five 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:

Clears Heat form the Stomach channel and fu
Calms the Shen
Activates the channel and alleviates pain

TCM Indications:

• Swelling of the face and head, frontal heachache, pain of the eyebrow, head wind, redness of the face and eyes, Visual Dizziness, dizziness, pain in the mouth, biting of the tongue.
  
• Abdominal distension, abdominal distension after eating, belching with abdominal distension and fullness, hunger with inability to eat, constipation.
  
• Febrile disease with absence of sweating, Malarial (瘧, Nue) Disorders, Sudden Turmoil (霍亂, Huo Luan) Disorder with cramps.
  
• Epilepsy, clonic spasm, mania, agitation, sadness and weeping, fright palpitations, Stomach heat with raving, seeing ghosts, hypertension.
  
• Swelling and pain of the ankle joint, drop-foot, atrophy disorder of the leg, heaviness of the thigh, sciatica, sinew Painful Obstruction (痹, Bi), damp Painful Obstruction (痹, Bi), injury of the big toe.

I Ching Hexagram:

䷕ Bi 賁 Grace, luminosity

Shared with Dadu Sp-2. Balanced by ䷮ (Chize Lu-5 or Erjian LI-2).

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

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: Superficial peroneal nerve from L4 - S1

Dermatome Segment: L5

Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

As a Fire and Jing-River Stomach point, striking here will causing severe nausea while also draining Qi from the lower extremities causing the legs to be greatly weakened (Montaigue, Dim Mak Locations, Taijiworld.com).

Major Combinations:

• Head Wind with a splitting sensation, pain between the eyebrow and the eye:
    Jiaxi St-41 with Hegu LI-4 and Yangbai GB-41
    (Wang Guorui, 王國瑞, 1329: Bian Que Shen Ying Zhen Jiu, Yu Long Jing, 扁鵲神應針灸玉龍經, Bian Que's Spiritual Guide to Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Classic of the Jade Dragon).
  
  
• Head Wind, redness of the face and eyes:
    Jiaxi St-41 with Tongli He-5
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Head Wind and dizziness:
    Jiaxi St-41 with Hegu LI-4, Fengling St-40 and Fengchi GB-20
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Stagnation of food in the mid-abdomen, stabbing pain that does not cease:
    Jiaxi St-41 with Zusanli St-36, Gongsun Sp-4 and Zhongwan Ren-12
    (Xu Feng, 徐鳳, 1439: Zhen Jiu Da Quan, 針灸大全, Complete Collection of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Sudden Turmoil Disorder:
    Jiaxi St-41 with Juque Ren-14, Guanchong SJ-1, Zhigou SJ-6 and Gongsun Sp-4
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Sudden Turmoil Disorder:
    Jiaxi St-41 with Yinlingquan Sp-9, Chengshan Bl-57 and Taibai Sp-3
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Fright palpitations and pounding of the Heart:
    Jiexi St-41 with Yangjiao GB-35
    (Gao Wu, 高武, 1529: Bai Zheng Fu, 百症賦, Ode of a Hundred Symptoms).
  
  
• Madness:
    Jiexi St-41 with Shenmai Bl-62
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).
  
  
• Weeping with grief:
    Jiexi St-41 with Xinshu Bl-15, Shenmen He-7 and Daling Pc-7
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).
  
  
• Rebellious Qi cough:
    Jiexi St-41 with Tianchi Pc-1, Tiantu Ren-22, Shanzhong Ren-17 and Jianzhongshu SI-15
    (Wang Zhizhong, 王執中, 1220: Zhen Jiu Zi Sheng Jing, 針灸資生經, Classic of Supporting Life with Acupuncture and Moxibustion).

Notes:

One of the points in the Internal Dragons protocol in five element acupuncture, along with Jiuwei Ren-15, Tianshu St-25 and Futu St-32, for eliminating a blockage between the therapist and patient, or a disconnection from themselves, due to internal causes.

In five element acupuncture this point is reinforced to tonify Stomach deficiencies.

Ling Shu Ch. 22, On Mania and Madness, advises that when Wind invasion and counterflow causes the limbs to become swollen, profuse sweating, a feeling of cold and to be irritated when hungry, then blood is removed from the outer and inner sections of the hand Taiyin and foot Shaoyin and Yangming. If the flesh is cool then it is be done through the Ying-Spring points and if the bones are cold it is to be done through the Jing-Well and Jing-River points.

In reflexology the band across the ankle, including this point, relates to the lymph and groin.

In Mayan medicine:
Used to facilitate movement of the feet and toes by treating pain and inflammation of the feet (Garcia, Sierra, Balam, 1999: Wind in the Blood)

Lad and Durve (2008) in Marma Points of Ayurveda call this point Pada Charana and associate it with the doshas: Apana Vayu, Prana Vayu, Vyana Vayu, Shleshaka Kapha and Alochaka Pitta.

They give the following functions:
- Benefits the ankles
- Improves circulation in the feet
- Relieves pain locally
- Regulates the functions of colon and bladder

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

In Thai massage:
Point along the Kalatharee sen line where the single line splits into five to terminate at the toes. Also the point along the Sahatsarangsi (left) and Tawaree (right) sen lines where the inner channel turns and ascends back up the outer leg.
Indicated for knee pain/injury/arthritis
(Salguero & Roylance, 2011, Encyclopedia of Thai Massage)

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