典藏书目

[Method of Sitting and Pointing for Moxibustion]

When placing moxa cones on the acupoints and igniting them, the patient is instructed to follow the specific point-location method: sitting upright with arms, head, neck, shoulders, back, hands, feet, wrists, and knees extended. The body must not tilt or slant in any way, nor should it flex, extend, or change position arbitrarily. The force applied when raising and pressing the arms should remain consistent. If any aspect deviates even slightly from these requirements, the scapulae will move closer together, covering and obstructing the moxibustion point and the moxa cone, causing the cone to rest directly on the bone. Conversely, if the scapulae open and separate by more than one cun, the heat energy will fail to penetrate the acupoint orifice, resulting in suffering without benefit.

If the point is located accurately, after a certain number of moxa cones (zhuang) are burned, a sensation of heat will be felt between the scapulae without significant pain, bringing a sense of mental comfort and ease (Shi Zhiyong stated: one should feel a tingling sensation in the arm). After dozens of zhuang, there may be a sore or stinging sensation in the wrist, similar to mechanical strain. Binding both arms together at the elbows and wrists with soft silk cloth, ensuring appropriate tension, can provide some assistance. This occurs because the hand presses down while the arm lifts, straining the wrist; resting briefly is harmless, provided the body and limbs are positioned exactly as before. For instance, burning fifty zhuang per day, accumulating to several hundred, is considered ideal. *Qianjin Fang* states: "Burn six hundred zhuang, up to one thousand zhuang. One should feel Qi descending smoothly like flowing water, and pathological factors will be expelled. The therapeutic efficacy is numerous and rapid" (e.g., patients with asthma and chest fullness experience immediate relief; women with amenorrhea for eight months resume menstruation after two days of treatment; such cases are common). The Gaohuang acupoint, though located superiorly, is most effective in directing Qi downward, surpassing other acupoints and medicinal herbs, and is capable of treating virtually all ailments. Patients should pay close attention to this.

[Alternative Method of Shi Yongzhi for Locating Acupoints]

Shi Cangyong, courtesy name Yongzhi, was a prominent physician in the capital. His therapeutic methods strictly adhered to ancient traditions, and he frequently performed moxibustion on this acupoint. His method for locating the point is as follows: The patient sits upright with legs crossed on a bed or couch. Depending on the patient's body size and build, a bamboo basket (kaolao) or pillow is placed and wrapped in quilts or cotton padding. The arms are crossed and laid flat upon this support, while the rest of the posture remains consistent with previous descriptions. This approach aligns with the intent in *Qianjin Fang* to avoid prolonged sitting with extended arms, instead allowing the arms to rest on a cloth pad. Shi advocated using a firm object to ensure stable height and dimensions, which is superior to using a soft cloth pad. Although the extension and flexion of the arms differ from ancient methods, the therapeutic outcomes remain identical. Essentially, medical practice relies on clinical judgment; adjustments are made according to circumstances, as there is no fixed formula. Sun Simiao mocked Qin Huan (Bian Que) for his inability to locate this acupoint, noting that while acupuncture and herbal medicine might be insufficient, fire therapy could penetrate deeply. Thus, pursuing such refined techniques is justified.

In the Jiwei year of the Shaoxing era, while I served as the Prefect of Wuchang, Shao Yuyun, Minister of Revenue, recounted: In his youth, he suffered from consumption (phthisis/tuberculosis). A monk from Quanzhou treated him by moxibusting the Gaohuang acupoint. The patient was instructed to lie prone on a bamboo basket. The monk pressed firmly with his finger joints to locate the point, instructing the patient to identify the correct location by the sensation of numbness in the middle finger. If there was no numbness, or if the numbness was not in the middle finger, the location was incorrect. Upon correctly locating the point, a single session of moxibustion resulted in a cure. This account was added in the fourth month of the Renxu year.