Unfortunately, I read neither classical nor modern Chinese: this means I really missed out on a lot when I trained as an acupuncturist. This shortcoming became especially apparent when I started to deal with the names of the acupuncture points. In the West, we typically learn acupuncture points as part of a numerical series along the course of a meridian. This naturally makes life easier when learning the physical location of the points, but there is still a wealth of information hidden in a point's Chinese name that one misses out on as a non-Chinese speaker.
“The names of acupuncture points are never accidental or arbitrary. Their names provide us with important information, either about the physical location of the point or about its function, and sometimes both.”
These nuggets of wisdom are not revealed to us when we merely learn the points as just another number in a long series of numbers from one end of the meridian to the other. A clear example of this phenomenon can be found approximately halfway along the Stomach meridian. The Chinese name for the 25th point on the Stomach meridian is Tian Shu. Tian Shu can be translated as the celestial pivot or the heavenly axis. The names of acupuncture points are never accidental or arbitrary. Their names provide us with important information, either about the physical location of the point or about its function, and sometimes both.
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Tian Shu – communication between the celestial and terrestrial
“Tian Shu is the old name for the central star in the Big Dipper constellation. The other six stars in the constellation revolve around this central star.”
Huang Di Nei Jing – Su Wen, chapter 74 compares the human body to the Big Dipper constellation.
The chapter states that the body has three qi in its upper part, reflecting the celestial aspect, and three qi in its lower part, reflecting the terrestrial aspect. These celestial and terrestrial qi rotate around a central pivot point at the navel. The body's microcosm thus resonates with the universe's macrocosm. With this in mind, we can begin to understand the central role that St 25 plays in the body, positioned as it is on either side of the navel.
St 25 supports communication upwards and downwards in the body. It does so by supporting the downward movement of qi from the upper and middle jiao, down to the lower jiao. This downward movement of qi is important because it not only transports the impure residues that remain in the stomach and intestinal system after the Spleen has transformed ingested food into gu qi; this downward dynamic also creates space so that Spleen qi and the essence of ingested food have the opportunity to rise upwards.
This qi mechanism is crucial for all upward and downward movement of qi in the body. By regulating the movement between the middle and lower jiao, St 25 not only supports the qi mechanism in the Stomach, Spleen and Intestines, St 25 also enables communication between the celestial aspect – the Heart's qi and the terrestrial aspect, the jing deeply buried in the Kidneys. It is this relationship and communication that Su Wen chapter 74 refers to.
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Not vertical but circular
I have always conceived of the dynamic between the middle and lower jiao as being vertical, but Professor Wang in "Applied Channel Theory in Chinese Medicine" writes very relevantly: "that the direction associated with the middle burner is not so much upward and downward, but should rather be understood as moving around the navel's pivot point. Its activity is transformation and is roughly equivalent to the Stomach and Spleen's function in modern physiology" [1]. This aligns well with St 25 being the celestial pivot point.
As is known, St 25 is located on either side of the navel, and at the same time, St 25 is the mu-collecting point for the Large Intestine. The Large Intestine is in many ways like the rim of a wheel, a wheel that rotates around the hub of the navel. By activating St 25, qi moves downwards through the Large Intestine, but by moving downwards through the Large Intestine, qi simultaneously rotates in a circle around the outer edge of the middle jiao. By being the mu-collecting point for the Large Intestine, St 25 can do more than just regulate qi in the Intestines and thereby facilitate downward communication in the body. St 25 can also drain Dampness and Damp-Heat from the Intestines. Accumulation of Dampness will in itself block communication between the three jiao.
Nigel Ching’s use of St 25
In daily practice, St 25 is an important point for me in the treatment of a wide range of intestinal problems such as diarrhea, constipation, IBS, Crohn's, abdominal pain, bloating, etc. St 25 also has a strong influence on the bao (uterus) and can be used in the treatment of a variety of gynecological problems, such as uterine fibroids and various menstrual disorders. Because St 25 is a Yangming meridian point, the point can drain shi or excess/full Heat, which manifests with mania and mental restlessness.
I often use St 25 together with Ren 12, the mu-collecting point for the Stomach. Both of these points are mu-collecting points for a Yangming organ and will thereby support each other in the downward movement of qi from the middle jiao to the lower jiao.
Other points I often use in combination with St 25 are St 37, the Large Intestine's lower He-sea point, and St 36, the Stomach's He-sea point.
[1] Wang, J. Y. & Robertson, J. Applied Channel Theory in Chinese Medicine. Eastland Press, 2008 p.227
