Course of the Channels and Point Qualifications


Spleen Channel (Foot-Taiyin)

Course:
The Spleen Channel starts at the medial corner of the nail of the big toe. It ascends along the medial aspect of the foot, traverses to the anterior of the medial malleolus. It further ascends along the medial aspect of the lower leg over knee and thigh to the inguinal region. From the groin, it ascends laterally over SP 14 to SP 15, 4 cun lateral to the midline at the level of the navel.
At SP 15 the pathway moves medially to meet CV 10, and an internal branch enters the abdomen and connects with the spleen, the pancreas and the stomach. Another internal branch leaves the stomach and goes through the diaphragm and joins with the heart. The internal pathway re-emerges at SP 16. From SP 16 the Spleen Channel ascends the thorax up to SP 20 in the 2nd intercostal space, 6 cun lateral to the midline.

From SP 20 an internal branch enters the thorax and meets the deeper layers of LU 01, parallels the trachea and ascends to the lower surface of the root of the tongue and terminates there.

From SP 20 the surface pathway descends again to the 6th intercostal space 6 cun below the axilla and terminates at SP 21.

Point Qualifications:

SP 01

Yinbai

Jing-Well Point, Wood Point

SP 02

Dadu

Ying-Spring Point, Fire Point

SP 03

Taibai

Shu-Stream Point, Earth Point; Yuan-Source Point

SP 04

Gongsun

Confluent Point of the Chong Mai; Luo-Connecting Point

SP 05

Shangqiu

Jing-River Point, Metal Point

SP 08

Diji

Xi-Cleft Point

SP 09

Yinlingquan

He-Sea Point, Water Point


BL 20

Pishu

Back-Shu Point of the Spleen

LR 13

Zhangmen

Front-Mu Alarm Point of the Spleen