中極 : Zhongji : Middle Pole

Location Guides:

Classifications:

Front Mu of the Bladder
Master Tung's Bowel Nest Twenty-Three
Meeting point for all leg Yin Sinew Meridians (Yuen, 2003, The Sinew Meridians: NESA)
Binding point of the foot Yangming, foot Taiyin and foot Jueyin Sinews

Meetings:

Meeting of Conception Vessel with Spleen, Liver, Kidney, Bladder Divergent, Kidney Divergent, Gall Bladder Divergent and Liver Divergent

Location:

On the midline of the lower abdomen, 4 cun inferior to the umbilicus and 1 cun superior to the pubic symphysis.

Needling:

Perpendicular insertion 0.5 - 1 cun

Warnings:

Deep insertion will penetrate a full bladder which should therefore be emptied before treatment. No deep needling in pregnancy, or perpendicular needling in advanced pregnancy.

Classical Needling:

"It is needled to a depth of two cun and 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:

Benefits the Bladder, regulates Qi transformation and drains Damp-heat
Drains Dampness and treats leucorrhoea
Benefits the uterus and regulates menstruation
Dispels stagnation and benefits the Lower Jiao
Fortifies the Kidneys

TCM Indications:

• Severe pain of the lower abdomen with retention of urine (in pregnancy), frequent urination, dark urination, urethral pain, the five types of painful urinary dysfunction, oedema.
  
• Genital itching with heat sensation, pain of the genitals, red and white leucorrhoea, seminal emission, seminal emission with dreams.
  
• Pain and swelling of the child gate (cervix), infertility, irregular menstruation, amenorrhoea, menorrhagia, uterine prolapse, abdominal (Zheng Jia) masses, retention of the placenta, retention of lochia, persistent flow of lochia.
  
• Masses below the umbilicus, severe twisting pain below the umbilicus, the seven kinds of Shan (疝) Disorder, cold sensation of the abdomen, sudden severe pain of the lower abdomen and back.
  
• Accumulation of cold qi rising to invade the Heart, Running Piglet Qi (奔豚氣, Ben Tun Qi) rising to the Heart causing inability to breathe.
  
• Lumbar pain, deficiency of yang qi, lower origin (yuan) deficient, loss of consciousness, hunger with inability to eat.

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: Ilioinguinal nerve (L1)

Dermatome Segment: S4

Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

One of the most damaging strikes to the genital area as it will also affect the Spleen, Liver and Kidneys. Immediately, the recipient will fall down with Qi disruption, blood will probably flow from the penis and he will probably die if medical attention is not sought. Long term issues can include sterility and cancer of the genital region (Montaigue, Dim Mak Locations, Taijiworld.com).

Major Combinations:

• Inability to urinate:
    Zhongji Ren-3 with Qugu Ren-2, Guanyuan Ren-4, Shimen Ren-5 and Sanyinjiao Sp-6
    (Wang Zhizhong, 王執中, 1220: Zhen Jiu Zi Sheng Jing, 針灸資生經, Classic of Supporting Life with Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Difficult urination with seminal emission:
    Zhongji Ren-3 with Ligou Liv-5, Lougu Sp-7, Chengfu Bl-36 and Zhiyin Bl-67
    (Wang Zhizhong, 王執中, 1220: Zhen Jiu Zi Sheng Jing, 針灸資生經, Classic of Supporting Life with Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Seminal emission:
    Zhongji Ren-3 with Zhiyin Bl-67 and Ququan Liv-8
    (Wang Zhizhong, 王執中, 1220: Zhen Jiu Zi Sheng Jing, 針灸資生經, Classic of Supporting Life with Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Pain of the penis:
    Zhongji Ren-3 with Taixi Kid-3, Yuji Lu-10 and Sanyinjiao Sp-6
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Sudden swelling, redness and pain of the vagina:
    Zhongji Ren-3 with Huiyin Ren-1 and Sanyinjiao Sp-6
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Infertility:
    Zhongji Ren-3 with Zigong Ex-CA-1
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Infertility:
    Zhongji Ren-3 with Shangqiu SP-5
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Uterine bleeding:
    Zhongji Ren-3 with Zigong Ex-CA-1
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Ceaseless uterine bleeding:
    Zhongji Ren-3 with Shimen Ren-5, Zigong Ex-CA-1 and Shenshu Bl-23
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Irregular menstruation:
    Zhongji Ren-3 with Sanyinjiao Sp-6, Daimai GB-26, Qihai Ren-6 and Shenshu Bl-23
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Inhibited menstruation:
    Zhongji Ren-3 with Sanyinjiao Sp-6 and Zulinqi GB-41
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Retention of lochia:
    Zhongji Ren-3 with Sanyinjiao Sp-6
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Retention of lochia:
    Zhongji Ren-3 with Jianjing GB-21
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Retention of lochia:
    Zhongji Ren-3 with Jianjing GB-21 and Sanyinjiao Sp-6
    (Li Xuechuan, 李學川: Zhen Jiu Feng Yuan, 針灸逢源, Meeting the Source of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Ceaseless diarrhoea:
    Zhongji Ren-3 with Tianshu St-25 and Zhongwan Ren-12
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).

I Ching Hexagram:

䷆ Shi 師 The Army.

Trigrams: Kan (Water) below, Kun (Earth) above.

Danger within, receptivity without — the peril of conflict is contained by the yielding ground of the people. This is the army: danger organised and disciplined within a receptive structure.

Nuclear trigrams: Lines 2-3-4 form Zhen (Thunder). Lines 3-4-5 form Kun (Earth). Beneath the army, there is thunder (movement, arousal) and earth (ground, support). The hidden message: the army is movement grounded in the people. Without the earth, the thunder is just noise.

Judgement:
師：貞，丈人，吉無咎。
The Army. Perseverance. A seasoned man. Good fortune. No blame.

The army is dangerous (Kan), but it is contained within the people (Kun). The general is the single yang line that gives shape to the mass. If the general is experienced and the cause is just, the army is a force for order, not destruction. Without these, it is a mob.

Lines:

Image:
地中有水，師。君子以容民畜眾。
Water within the earth: Shi. Thus the gentleman nourishes the people and accumulates the masses..

The image is of water hidden within the earth — the army is hidden within the people. The gentleman does not parade his forces. He nourishes (容, rong) the people and accumulates (畜, xu) the masses. The army is not separate from society; it is the organized strength of society itself.

Acupuncture Point Connections:

Shared with Jingmen GB-25.
Inverted into ䷇ (Taixi Kid-3 or Feiyang Bl-58).
Balanced by ䷌ (Xinshu Bl-15 or Xiaochangshu Bl-27).

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

Notes:

Important point for the genitourinary system.

In Tung lineage acupuncture the Bowel Nest 23 (Fu Chao Er Shi San) are a group of points located in a line at 1 cun intervals between Ren-2 and Ren-10. An additional eight points on either side form a 4x5 grid at the levels of Ren-9 to Ren-5, also at 1 cun intervals. Ren-8, on the navel, is not included.

They are pricked using Tung's method in local disorders of pain, stagnation and heat in the abdomen such as uteritis, nephritis, umbilical area pain, enteritis, appendicitis and intestinal cancers (McCann, 2014, Pricking the Vessels).

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

The Front Mu points make likely locations for application of leeches to reduce fevers according to François Broussais' (1772-1838) philosophy who believed in placing them over the diseased organs to reduce inflammation (Greenstone, 2010, The history of bloodletting, BCMJ, Vol. 52, No. 1, Pp 12-14).

In the Qabalah this would be a good candidate for the location of Yesod, the Foundation. Farrow, (2007, The Psychology of the Body) does not give a precise point translation for this sephiroth but describes it as sitting "in the bowl of the pelvis" making the lower Ren points a reasonable estimate.

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