Xiawan, Zhongwan and Shangwan
Star下脘、中脘、上脘 (Xiàwǎn, Zhōngwǎn, Shàngwǎn)
Modern Chinese point-pair (对穴) teaching, as compiled by Guo Changqing and colleagues at the School of Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.
Points
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Lower epigastric point; moves food down out of the stomach and clears stagnation at the pylorus end.
Supine. 2 cun above the umbilicus. Needle straight in to 0.5–1.0 cun, through the subcutaneous layer to the internal abdominal (transversalis) fascia and the subperitoneal fascia. An aching distension should be felt at the point.
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Front-Mu point of the Stomach and Hui-Meeting point of the Fu organs; the centre of the set, regulating the whole middle burner.
4 cun above the umbilicus. Supine. Needle straight in to 0.5–1.0 cun, through the subcutaneous layer to the internal abdominal (transversalis) fascia and the subperitoneal fascia. Seek a local aching distension that spreads into the stomach.
- ⚠ Organ
- Pregnancy: caution
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Upper epigastric point; checks upward-rebelling Stomach qi.
Supine. 5 cun above the umbilicus. Needle straight in to 0.5–1.0 cun, through the subcutaneous layer to the internal abdominal (transversalis) fascia and the subperitoneal fascia. The aching distension should spread through the upper abdomen.
Needling Safety
Cited hazards for these points. Tick what applies to the patient to see the cautions that follow from it.
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CV12 Zhongwan
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⚠ Organ injury has been reported after needling this point. Wu J, Hu Y, Zhu Y, Yin P, Litscher G, Xu S 2015, Table 4 (Organ injury associated with acupuncture)
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No cited needling data yet for CV10, CV13. No flag here does not mean no risk.
Treatment Principle
Strengthen the Spleen and bring the Stomach back into harmony.
Indications
Method
Patient supine. All three points are needled perpendicularly to 0.5–1.0 cun on the anterior midline, each until an aching, distending sensation arises — spreading into the stomach from CV12 and across the upper abdomen from CV13.
⚠ Cautions
Keep to the stated depth, especially in thin patients, since the peritoneum lies beneath the subperitoneal fascia. Avoid needling on a full stomach.
About
A vertical line of three epigastric points — lower, middle and upper Wan (the three sections of the stomach cavity) — chosen to strengthen the Spleen and harmonise the Stomach. It is aimed at the everyday digestive picture: bloating, pain, loose stools, poor digestion, nausea with vomiting and hiccup.
Rationale
All three points lie on the Ren Mai directly over the stomach, so together they cover the organ from its upper to its lower opening. CV12, the Front-Mu point of the Stomach and Hui-Meeting point of the Fu organs, anchors the set; CV13 and CV10 flank it above and below. CV10 is a meeting point with the Spleen channel, and CV13 and CV12 are meeting points with the Stomach and Small Intestine channels, which brings both halves of the Spleen–Stomach pairing into the treatment.
Sources
- Guo Changqing (ed.). Acupuncture of Acupoint Combinations: Quick Lookups. Daylesford: Heart Space Publications, 2020 (English edition; © China Science and Technology Press). ISBN 978-0-6489215-5-4. Chapter 3, combination 1.
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