肓俞 : Huangshu : Vitals Shu

Location Guides:

Classifications:

Shokanten Nine Continents Point of the Middle Jiao, Shaoyin, Heart and Spleen
Trigger point (Travell & Simons, 1998, Trigger Point Manual)

Meetings:

Meeting of Kidney with Chong Mai

Location:

On the abdomen, 0.5 cun lateral to the centre of the umbilicus. Note: The Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion locates this 1 cun from the midline.

Needling:

Perpendicular insertion 1 - 1.5 cun

Warnings:

Deep needling may penetrate the peritoneal cavity.

Classical Needling:

"The Shaoyin usually has little Blood and much Qi" (Su Wen 素問 ch. 24) implying this channel should normally be needled.
"The foot Shaoyin is to be pierced 2 fen deep and remain inserted for three exhalations" (Ling Shu 靈樞 ch. 12).
"It is needled to a depth of one cun 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
Regulates and warms the Intestines

TCM Indications:

• Constipation, dry stools, borborygmus, diarrhoea, vomiting, the five types of painful urinary dysfunction, redness and pain of the eye originating at the inner canthus.
  
• Pain of the epigastrium and abdomen, cold in the epigastrium, distension and pain of the abdomen, cutting pain of the abdomen, Shan (疝) Disorder due to cold.

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: Anterior cutaneous thoracic nerve from T10

Dermatome Segment: T10

Trigger Point Associations:

Muscle:
Iliopsoas

Location Notes:
Palpation point only. Psoas muscle connects to the spine around this point on the posterior of the body

Pain Referral Pattern:
Down the lower back and to the anterior of the thigh

Indications:
Low back pain

Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

Listed in the Wu Bei Zhi 武備志 (Treatise on Armament Technology) by Mao Yuanyi 茅元儀 (1621), Article 21: Delayed Death Touches with Twelve-Hour (Shichen 時辰) Diagrams. This point along with Shaohai He-3, Shenque Ren-8 and Qianding Du-21 are associated with Wei 未 Ram (1-3 pm) and if struck during this time is said to cause death within one year from trauma to the coeliac axis artery (McCarthy, 2016, Bubishi: The Classic Manual of Combat).

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

Major Combinations:

• The five types of painful urinary dysfunction from chronic accumulation:
    Huangshu Kid-17 and Henggu Kid-11
    (Gao Wu, 高武, 1529: Bai Zheng Fu, 百症賦, Ode of a Hundred Symptoms).

Notes:

Ling Shu Ch. 52, On Wei Qi, suggest this point along with Tianshu St-25 and Pishu Bl-20 to release evil Qi in the abdomen. It advises to press the point for a time until there is a reaction and then pierce with the fine needle and apply a draining technique. Conditions treated are headache, dizziness and falling to the ground, abdominal pain, fullness, distension and accumulation. If it is painful and the pain moves it can be cured easily; if is is a painless fixed accumulation it is difficult.

Classical texts such as the Nei Jing and Ling Shu which considered the Dai mai as simple a circle around the waist would include this a point on the Dai mai along with others level to Shenque Ren-8 and Mingmen Du-4 instead of the traditional points (Yuen, 2005, The Eight Extraordinary Vessels).

Shokanten points are often used in Japanese acupuncture to treat conditions arising from a psycho-emotional background. This point affects the Middle Jiao, Shaoyin, Heart and Spleen.

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. This would match with the alternative location for this point given in the Great Compendium. 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).

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