Yanglingquan and Zusanli
Star陽陵泉、足三里 (Yánglíngquán, Zúsānlǐ)
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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He-Sea point of the Gallbladder and Hui-Meeting point of the sinews; spreads Liver qi and benefits the sinews.
Seated with the knee bent to 90°, or supine: in the hollow in front of and below the head of the fibula. Insert perpendicularly, directed toward SP9, 1.0–1.5 cun into the peroneal muscles, seeking local aching and numbness that travels down the leg.
- ⚠ Nerve
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He-Sea point of the Stomach; strengthens the Spleen and Stomach and supports the correct and original qi.
Seated with the knee bent: 3 cun below ST35, one finger-breadth lateral to the anterior crest of the tibia; alternatively, 1 cun below the lower outer margin of the upper tibia. Insert perpendicularly 0.5–1.5 cun through tibialis anterior toward extensor hallucis longus, seeking a sensation that spreads to the ankle, dorsum of the foot and toes.
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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GB34 Yanglingquan
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⚠ Nerve injury has been reported after needling this point. Wu J, Hu Y, Zhu Y, Yin P, Litscher G, Xu S 2015, Table 3 (Peripheral nerve injury)
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No cited needling data yet for ST36. No flag here does not mean no risk.
Treatment Principle
Fortify the Spleen and harmonise the Stomach, build up both the upright (zheng) qi and the original (yuan) qi, and open the channel to stop pain.
Indications
Method
Both points below the knee are needled perpendicularly — GB34 1.0–1.5 cun angled toward SP9, ST36 0.5–1.5 cun — with the knee bent or the patient supine, until the sensation travels down toward the foot. The book gives no retention time or moxibustion instructions for this pair.
About
The He-Sea points of the Gallbladder and Stomach, side by side below the knee, used to harmonise the middle burner and the Liver–Gallbladder and to strengthen the legs. The range of indications is broad: digestive complaints, hypochondriac pain and jaundice, head, eye and ear symptoms, cough and wheeze, bedwetting, and weakness or paralysis of the lower limbs.
Rationale
ST36 is the He-Sea point of the Stomach and the principal tonifying point of the body, supporting the correct (zheng) qi and the original (yuan) qi through the Spleen and Stomach; GB34 is the He-Sea and lower He-Sea point of the Gallbladder and the Hui-Meeting point of the sinews. The pair joins the Earth of the Stomach with the Wood of the Gallbladder, so it can both regulate Liver–Stomach disharmony and nourish and free the sinews of the legs.
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 4, combination 14.
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