Si Ma — The Four Horses
Star駟馬 (Sì Mǎ)
Master Tung Ching Chang, Tung's Extraordinary Points.
Points
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Upper
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Middle; the principal point
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Lower
Treatment Principle
Regulate the Lung, which governs the skin, and open the surface — treating dermatological disease from the interior rather than the lesion.
Indications
Method
Needle all three, perpendicular, 1.5 to 2.5 cun, bilaterally. Retain 30 to 45 minutes. Treat twice weekly at first for chronic skin disease.
⚠ Cautions
Deep lateral thigh needling — straightforward, but observe depth in thin patients.
About
The Four Horses are the group most Tung practitioners reach for in dermatology, and the clearest expression of the system's reliance on the Lung–skin relationship.
Rationale
Tung placed the Lung correspondence on the lateral thigh. Because the Lung governs the skin and the body hair in classical physiology, a group that regulates the Lung reaches skin disease anywhere on the body — which is why the same three points are used for eczema on the hands and psoriasis on the scalp alike.
Clinical Notes
Chronic skin disease needs a course measured in months, not visits. The Si Ma group is often combined with bleeding at the ear apex or in the Wu Ling field on the back where heat is prominent.
Sources
- Young, Wei-Chieh. Lectures on Tung's Acupuncture: Points Study. Blue Poppy Press.
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