Sishencong, Shenting and Benshen
Star四神聰、神庭、本神 (Sìshéncōng, Shéntíng, Běnshén)
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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Frames GV20 on the vertex, lifting clear yang to the head and quietening the mind.
Patient sitting or lying supine. The four needles sit 1 cun in front of, behind and to either side of GV20. Thread each one transversely under the scalp toward GV20; the source gives 0.5–0.8 cun for the insertion. The needle crosses the skin and subcutaneous layer and lies in the loose connective tissue between the galea aponeurotica and the periosteum. Look for a local ache with distension.
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Governor Vessel point at the front hairline whose name marks it as the court of the spirit; calms the mind and clears the head.
Patient sitting or supine. Locate on the midline 0.5 cun behind the midpoint of the anterior hairline. Insert transversely, 0.3–0.5 cun, through skin and subcutaneous tissue and the galea aponeurotica into the layer beneath it. The expected response is a local heaviness with distension.
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Gallbladder–Yang Wei meeting point at the hairline; roots the spirit and settles wind in the head.
Patient sitting or supine. The point lies 0.5 cun inside the anterior hairline and 3 cun lateral to GV24 — two-thirds of the way out along a line drawn from GV24 to ST8. Insert transversely, 0.5–0.8 cun, through the subcutaneous tissue into the connective tissue under the galea aponeurotica, until an ache with numbness is felt locally.
Treatment Principle
Calm the spirit and nourish the brain; clear the head and brighten the eyes.
Indications
Method
All three points are needled transversely under the scalp with the patient sitting or supine: the four Sishencong needles pointed in toward GV20, Shenting on the midline and Benshen on both sides at the hairline. Aim for a local ache, heaviness or distension at each site.
⚠ Cautions
Scalp points bleed readily; press each site on withdrawal. Keep the needles in the subaponeurotic plane — there is no reason to reach bone.
About
Three groups of scalp points arranged across the crown and the front hairline, used together to steady the spirit and clear the head. The source groups it with the chapter's head-and-neck combinations and directs it chiefly at disturbances of sleep, memory and mental state, as well as headache, dizziness and seizures.
Rationale
Sishencong surrounds GV20, the uppermost point of the Governor Vessel, which runs up the spine and over the head and is traditionally held to connect with the brain. Shenting, also on the Governor Vessel, is a meeting point with the Bladder and Stomach channels, and Benshen is where the Gallbladder channel meets the Yang Wei Mai. Two of the three names refer directly to the spirit (shen), and the set covers the vertex and the whole front hairline, so the head is treated from above and in front at once.
Clinical Notes
The source lists 0.5–0.8 cun for Sishencong where our point record gives 0.3–0.5 cun; with transverse insertion under the scalp either range is safe, and the longer length simply reaches further toward GV20.
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 2, combination 1.
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