一、隐白(井穴)
部位 在足大指端内侧白肉际。(侧当作折。传写之讹已久。)
证治 腹胀喘满。不得安卧。呕吐。食不下。暴泄。衄血。卒尸厥。不识人。足寒不能
温。
针灸 针入三分。灸三壮。若妇人月事过时不止。刺之立愈。
按∶先师许公直 传授有云。足大指端内侧。乃大敦穴。非隐白穴。隐白。在足大指
下折纹中。其穴常隐而肉色白。故名隐白。
二、大都(荥穴)
部位 在足大指本节之后。内侧陷中。骨罅中。赤白肉际。
证治 热病汗不出。伤寒手足逆冷。腹满善呕。烦热闷乱。吐逆目眩。
针灸 针入三分。可灸三壮。
按∶大都乃脾所溜之荥穴。古者。邑有先庙曰都。周礼地官。四县曰都。脾为土藏。
乃四象之母。荥为火穴。又土之母。合乎先庙之义。经脉十二之次序。脾居四位。又合乎四县曰
都之义。其穴在足大指本节高起之后。赤白肉皆丰满。故名大都。
三、太白(俞穴)
部位 在足内侧核骨下陷中。
证治 身热烦满。腹胀食不化。呕吐脓血。腰痛。大便难。气逆。霍乱腹中切痛。
针灸 针入三分。可灸三壮。
按∶太白乃阴俞土穴。土能生金。西方金。其色白。足内侧肉色较足跗足底特白。望
其色而名之。故称太白。穴在足内侧核骨下。核骨一作 骨。一名腕骨。本输篇云。太白腕骨之
下也。俗名孤拐骨。
四、商丘(经穴)
部位 在足内踝下微前陷中。
证治 腹胀肠鸣不便。脾虚人不乐。身寒。太息心悲气逆。痔疾。骨疽蚀。妇人绝子。
小儿慢风。
针灸 针入三分。可灸三壮。
按∶商丘。乃阴经金穴。四方高。中央下。曰丘。登高初步之小阜也。商乃西金之高音。脾
井荥俞经四穴。皆居卑位。由此穴而上内踝。乃与三阴交会而入合于阴之
陵泉。登高必自卑。故名商丘。
五、阴陵泉(合穴)
部位 在膝下内侧辅骨下陷中。伸足取之。与阳陵泉斜对。稍高一寸。
证治 腹中寒。不嗜食。膈下满。水胀腹。坚喘逆不得卧。腰痛不得俯仰。霍乱疝瘕。
小便不利。气淋。寒热不节。
针灸 针入五分。不言灸。
按∶阴陵泉乃脾合水穴。脾为阴中之至阴。陵高于丘也。泉高处之水源也。故灵枢经
曰。疾高而内者。取之阴之陵泉。盖五俞合穴。下达于上。内通于外之要点。治病当求其源也。其穴不
言灸者。以脾为土脏。土中含湿。则万物育焉。如灸之。灼其泉源。则土燥而不能育物也。
1. Yinbai (Well Point)
Location: Located at the medial end of the big toe, at the junction of the white and red skin. (The character "ce" [side] should be "zhe" [fold/bend]; this is a long-standing error in transcription.)
Indications: Abdominal distension, wheezing, and chest fullness. Inability to lie down comfortably. Vomiting. Difficulty in eating. Sudden diarrhea. Epistaxis. Sudden Shijue syndrome (a critical condition characterized by sudden fainting and loss of consciousness). Loss of consciousness. Cold feet that cannot be warmed.
Acupuncture and Moxibustion: Needle insertion depth is 3 fen. Apply 3 moxa cones. For women with prolonged menstruation beyond the expected time, needling this point can lead to immediate cessation.
Commentary: My former teacher, Mr. Xu Zhizhi, taught that the medial end of the big toe is Dazhun (LR1), not Yinbai. Yinbai is located in the crease below the big toe. The point is often hidden within the flesh and has a whitish color, hence the name Yinbai.
2. Dadu (Spring Point)
Location: Located in the depression on the medial side behind the metatarsophalangeal joint of the big toe, within the bone gap, at the junction of the red and white skin.
Indications: Heat diseases with anhidrosis. Cold extremities due to Shanghan (Cold Damage). Abdominal fullness with frequent vomiting. Restlessness, heat sensation, and mental confusion. Vomiting accompanied by dizziness.
Acupuncture and Moxibustion: Needle insertion depth is 3 fen. Moxibustion of 3 cones may be applied.
Commentary: Dadu is the Ying-Spring point of the Spleen channel. In ancient times, a city with an ancestral temple was called "Du." The "Rites of Zhou · Earth Officer" states that four counties constitute a "Du." The Spleen belongs to the Earth element and is the mother of the Four Symbols. The Ying-Spring point corresponds to Fire, which is also the mother of Earth, aligning with the meaning of an ancestral temple. In the sequence of the twelve meridians, the Spleen occupies the fourth position, consistent with the meaning of four counties forming a "Du." The point is located posterior to the prominence of the first metatarsophalangeal joint, where both the red and white skin areas are plump, hence the name Dadu.
3. Taibai (Shu-Stream Point)
Location: Located in the depression below the medial malleolus (specifically the medial cuneiform or navicular bone area, referred to as "hexie" or "hugu") on the medial aspect of the foot.
Indications: Fever, restlessness, and abdominal fullness. Abdominal distension and indigestion. Vomiting of pus and blood. Low back pain. Dyschezia (difficulty in defecation). Qi rebellion. Huoluan (food poisoning/acute gastroenteritis) with severe abdominal pain.
Acupuncture and Moxibustion: Needle insertion depth is 3 fen. Moxibustion of 3 cones may be applied.
Commentary: Taibai is the Shu-Stream point of the Yin meridian, belonging to the Earth element. Earth generates Metal; the West corresponds to Metal, whose color is white. The flesh color on the medial side of the foot is distinctly whiter than that on the dorsum or sole of the foot. It is named Taibai (Great White) based on its color. The point is located below the medial bony prominence (referred to as "hexie" or "hugu," also known as the ankle bone). The "Ben Shu" chapter of Ling Shu states: "Taibai is below the wrist bone." It is commonly known as the "lone crook bone."
4. Shangqiu (Jing-River Point)
Location: Located in the slight depression anterior to the inferior border of the medial malleolus.
Indications: Abdominal distension, borborygmus, and constipation. Melancholy due to Spleen deficiency. Chills. Sighing, sadness, and Qi rebellion. Hemorrhoids. Bone abscesses with ulceration. Female infertility. Slow convulsions in infants.
Acupuncture and Moxibustion: Needle insertion depth is 3 fen. Moxibustion of 3 cones may be applied.
Commentary: Shangqiu is the Jing-River point of the Yin meridian, belonging to the Metal element. A mound high on four sides and low in the center is called a "Qiu" (hill), representing a small rise at the beginning of climbing. "Shang" is the high tone associated with Western Metal. The Well, Spring, Stream, and River points of the Spleen are all located in lower positions. From this point upward to the medial malleolus, it intersects with the Three Yin meridians and joins Yinlingquan. One must start from a low place to climb high; hence, it is named Shangqiu.
5. Yinlingquan (He-Sea Point)
Location: Located in the depression below the tibial condyle on the medial side of the knee. Take the point with the leg extended. It is diagonally opposite to Yanglingquan (GB34) and slightly higher by one cun.
Indications: Cold in the abdomen. Anorexia. Fullness below the diaphragm. Abdominal water swelling. Hardness, wheezing, Qi rebellion, and inability to lie down. Low back pain with inability to bend forward or backward. Huoluan, hernia, and Jia masses (abdominal lumps). Dysuria. Qi-type strangury. Alternating chills and fever.
Acupuncture and Moxibustion: Needle insertion depth is 5 fen. Moxibustion is not mentioned.
Commentary: Yinlingquan is the He-Sea point of the Spleen meridian, belonging to the Water element. The Spleen is the "Zhiyin" (Extreme Yin) among the Yin organs. "Ling" (mound) is higher than "Qiu" (hill). "Quan" (spring) refers to the source of water at a high place. Therefore, the Ling Shu states: "For diseases that are high in location but involve internal pathology, select Yinlingquan." This likely represents the key mechanism of the He-Sea points, connecting downward and internally to the exterior. Treatment of disease should seek its source. Moxibustion is not mentioned for this point because the Spleen is an Earth organ. Earth contains moisture, allowing all things to be nurtured. If moxibustion were applied, it would scorch the water source, drying the earth and preventing the nurturing of life.