Jinsuo and Ganshu
Star筋縮、肝俞 (Jīnsuō, Gānshū)
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
-
Du Mai point below T9 (Sinew Contraction); relaxes the sinews, settles spasm and epilepsy.
Prone. In the hollow below the T9 spinous process. Insert obliquely (angled upwards) to 0.5–1.0 cun and apply twirling (rotating) manipulation. The needle crosses the subcutaneous tissue, the supraspinous and interspinous ligaments and reaches the ligamentum flavum (interarcuate ligament); the spinal canal lies immediately beyond, so that ligament marks the limit of insertion. An aching numbness should be felt locally.
-
Back-Shu point of the Liver; spreads Liver qi, clears damp-heat and extinguishes wind.
Prone. Angle the needle medially towards the spine, 0.5–0.8 cun deep, through the subcutaneous layer into latissimus dorsi and the erector spinae (sacrospinalis). Look for an aching numbness that runs out along the intercostal space. Keep the insertion shallow: the lung lies beneath and deep needling risks pneumothorax.
- ⚠ Pneumothorax
Needling Safety
Cited hazards for these points. Tick what applies to the patient to see the cautions that follow from it.
-
BL18 Ganshu
-
⚠ Pneumothorax has been reported after needling this point. Wu J, Hu Y, Zhu Y, Yin P, Litscher G, Xu S 2015, Table 1 (Pneumothorax associated with acupuncture)
-
No cited needling data yet for GV8. No flag here does not mean no risk.
Treatment Principle
Soothe the Liver and strengthen yang, regulate qi and calm the spirit.
Indications
Method
Patient prone. GV8 is needled obliquely 0.5–1.0 cun with twirling manipulation until a local aching numbness appears; BL18 is angled medially towards the spine to 0.5–0.8 cun until the sensation runs along the intercostal space.
⚠ Cautions
BL18 overlies the lung: deep or perpendicular needling risks pneumothorax, as the source warns. At GV8 the spinal cord lies beneath — keep within the stated depth and do not pass the ligamentum flavum.
About
A same-level pairing at T9 that soothes the Liver, regulates qi and settles the spirit. It covers the Liver's digestive picture (distension, chest oppression, jaundice, poor digestion) and its wind picture — convulsions, spasm and rigidity of the back, and epilepsy.
Rationale
BL18 is the Back-Shu point of the Liver and GV8 lies on the Du Mai at the same vertebral level. The Liver governs the sinews, and GV8, named Sinew Contraction, relaxes them and settles spasm; BL18 frees Liver qi and extinguishes wind. "Strengthening yang" here refers to the functional, active side of the body — the organs' capacity to work — which the Du Mai, as the sea of yang, supports.
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 13.
📝 Notes
Public notes from the community and your own private notes on Jinsuo and Ganshu.
No notes yet.