: Benshen : Root of the Spirit

GB-13 : Foot Shaoyang Gall Bladder 13

Location Guides:

Classifications:

Alternative to Touwei St-8 as a meeting point for all arm Yang Sinew Meridians (Yuen, 2003, The Sinew Meridians: NESA)
Binding point of the hand Taiyang, hand Shaoyang and hand Yangming Sinews

Meetings:

Meeting of Gall Bladder with Yang Wei Mai


Location:

On the forehead, 0.5 cun within the anterior hairline, two thirds of the distance between Shenting Du-24 and Touwei St-8, directly above the outer canthus of the eye.

Needling:

Transverse insertion 0.5 - 1.5 cun in the direction of symptoms or to connect with other points.

Classical Needling:

It is needled to a depth of five fen and moxaed with three cones. (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經)


TCM Actions:

Eliminates Wind, resolves Phlegm and treats epilepsy

TCM Indications:

  • Headache, Visual Dizziness, stiffness and pain of the neck, pain of the chest and lateral costal region with inability to turn the body.
  • Epilepsy, childhood fright epilepsy, vomiting of foamy saliva, Windstroke (中風, Zhong Feng), hemiplegia, deviation of the mouth and eyes.

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: Supraorbital nerve, from ophthalamic branch of trigeminal (CN V1)
Dermatome Segment: CN V1 ophthalamic branch of trigeminal


Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

See Montaigue, Dim Mak Locations, Taijiworld.com for explanation of effects.

Major Combinations:



Notes:

Among the Gall Bladder points of the head, there appear to be some that indicate they are special points for influencing the five Zang, similar to the Front-Shu of the chest on the Kidney channel. The name of this point, "Root of the Spirit" and its indications for epilepsy would make this point the head-Shu for the Heart.



Jin's Three Needles for Cognition are located at this point and Shenting Du-24 and needled subcutaneously in a posterior direction. They are indicated for intellectual disability, general learning difficulties (eLotus, 2021).



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