Course of the Channels and Point Qualifications


Kidney Channel (Foot-Shaoyin)

Course
The Kidney Channel starts at the little toe and emerges on the sole of the foot at the junction of the anterior and middle third of the sole. It continues to ascend the foot and travels below the navicular bone to the Achilles tendon. It ascends posterior to the medial malleolus, forms a circle and enters the heel. From here it ascends along the medial aspect of the lower leg via KI 08 to SP 06, the crossing-point of the three Yin Channels of the leg. From SP 06 it continues to ascend along the medial aspect of the leg and traverses the medial edge of the popliteal fossa, ascends further to reach the torso, traveling in the dorsal septum of the gracilis muscle to the pubis bone.

From the pubis bone, the interior course of the Kidney Channel intersects with GV 01 and proceeds together with the Governor Vessel to GV 04. From GV 04 the Kidney Channel enters its pertaining organ, the Kidney. From the Kidney a branch descends to the paired organ, the Bladder. The main Channel re-emerges at the pubis bone 0.5 cun lateral to the body midline.

Another interior branch from the Kidney continues to ascend to cross the liver and diaphragm and to enter the Lungs. It continues to ascend the throat and terminates at the root of the tongue.
Another branch exits the Lungs to meet the heart and Pericardium and then disperses in the thorax (CV 17).
From the pubis bone, the Kidney Channel continues to ascend the lower abdomen, parallel to the midline, up to the costal arch, and then runs 2 cun lateral to the midline along the sternum up to its final point, KI 27, at the lower border of the clavicle.

Point Qualifications:

KI 01

Yongquan

Jing-Well Point, Wood-Point

KI 02

Rangu

Ying-Spring Point, Fire Point

KI 03

Taixi

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

KI 04

Dazhong

Luo-Connecting Point

KI 05

Shuiquan

Xi-Cleft Point

KI 06

Zhaohai

Confluent Point of the Yin Qiao Mai

KI 07

Fuliu

Jing-River Point, Metal Point

KI 10

Yingu

Sea Point, Water Point



BL 23

Shenshu

Back-Shu Point of the Kidney

GB 25

Jingmen

Front-Mu Alarm Point of the Kidney