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HT6

Yinxi

Star

陰郄 (Yīnxì) — Yin Cleft

Heart channel · point 6

Not yet clinically reviewed

Xi-Cleft point

Traditionally used for

  • Nose & throat
  • Cough & breathing
  • Mood & calm
  • Heart & circulation

Location

On the anteromedial aspect of the forearm, radial to the tendon of flexor carpi ulnaris, 0.5 cun proximal to the palmar wrist crease (HT7), level with the distal border of the head of the ulna.

How to locate: With the palm facing up, make the flexor carpi ulnaris tendon stand out by flexing the wrist against resistance; the point is on the radial side of that tendon, 0.5 cun proximal to HT7 at the wrist crease.

Regional anatomy: The needle passes through the skin, subcutaneous tissue and antebrachial fascia at the radial border of the flexor carpi ulnaris tendon; the ulnar artery and ulnar nerve run immediately alongside.

Distances are in cun, a proportional unit — how to measure.

Body map, front: HT6 · Wrist
Fig. — HT6 · Wrist After Albinus, 1747
Body map, front: HT6 · Wrist

HT6 · Wrist · Albinus, Tabulae sceleti et musculorum, 1747

Bones of the hand, dorsal — Gray's Anatomy plate
Bones of the hand, dorsal Gray's Anatomy, 1918
Bones of the hand, dorsal — Gray's Anatomy plate

Bones of the hand, dorsal · Gray's Anatomy, 1918

3D view

Approximate placement, carried over from our 2D body map onto a single adult male model (BodyParts3D) and checked against the point's location text. Shown on one side of the body. Locate the point on your patient by the location text and palpation, not by this model.

Cun on this part of the body
From the cubital crease to the wrist crease: 12 B-cun (WHO 2008, General Guidelines, Proportional Bone (Skeletal) Measurements, p. 12). On the model, the cubital crease = line between the humeral epicondyles. On the model, the wrist crease = line between the radial and ulnar styloid tips.
Needle angle and depth
  1. Perpendicular (90° to the skin), 0.3–0.5 cun. Deadman P, Al-Khafaji M, Baker K, p. 217
  2. Oblique (45° to the skin), 0.5–1 cun, proximal or distal. Deadman P, Al-Khafaji M, Baker K, p. 217

3D anatomy: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science licensed under CC Attribution 4.0 International (licence). Subset, simplified and recoloured by Verscienta — changes and licence details.

Needling

Cited needling

Techniques — the source gives these as alternatives:

  1. Perpendicular insertion
    Depth 0.3–0.5 cun
    skindeeper
  2. Oblique insertion — proximal or distal
    Depth 0.5–1 cun
    skindeeper

Depths describe average adult habitus in the cited population, never a single safe number for the patient in front of you. Palpate and adjust.

Sources (1)
  1. Deadman P, Al-Khafaji M, Baker K. A Manual of Acupuncture. Hove: Journal of Chinese Medicine Publications; 1998 — p. 217 Supports: techniques (names this point)

Site notes · not cited

Depth: 0.3–0.5 cun
Angle: Perpendicular

Functions

  • Nourishes Heart yin and blood and clears deficiency heat
  • Stops night sweating
  • Calms the spirit and stops bleeding

Indications

Night sweatscardiac pain and palpitations with anxietycoughing of blood and nosebleedhot flushessudden loss of voicefright and fear

Balance Method partners

Under Dr. Tan's six systems, HT6 at the wrist balances these channels at the regions its segment images.

  • 1. Same Chinese name
    Kidney channel
    Ankle, Heel · Mirror (arm ↔ leg)
    Hip & groin, Buttock · Reversed mirror
    Front of neck, Nape of neck · Image, head at the hand/foot
    Lower abdomen, Sacrum · Image, head toward the elbow/knee
    Solve for the Kidney channel →
  • 2. Branching (Bie Jing / Zang Fu Bie Tong)
    Gallbladder channel
    Ankle, Heel · Mirror (arm ↔ leg)
    Hip & groin, Buttock · Reversed mirror
    Front of neck, Nape of neck · Image, head at the hand/foot
    Lower abdomen, Sacrum · Image, head toward the elbow/knee
    Solve for the Gallbladder channel →
  • 3. Interior–exterior pair
    Small Intestine channel
    Wrist · Same segment, opposite side
    Front of neck, Nape of neck · Image, head at the hand/foot
    Lower abdomen, Sacrum · Image, head toward the elbow/knee
    Solve for the Small Intestine channel →
  • 4. Chinese clock opposite
    Gallbladder channel
    Ankle, Heel · Mirror (arm ↔ leg)
    Hip & groin, Buttock · Reversed mirror
    Front of neck, Nape of neck · Image, head at the hand/foot
    Lower abdomen, Sacrum · Image, head toward the elbow/knee
    Solve for the Gallbladder channel →
  • 5. Chinese clock neighbour
    Spleen channel
    Ankle, Heel · Mirror (arm ↔ leg)
    Hip & groin, Buttock · Reversed mirror
    Front of neck, Nape of neck · Image, head at the hand/foot
    Lower abdomen, Sacrum · Image, head toward the elbow/knee
    Solve for the Spleen channel →
  • 6. Same channel
    Heart channel
    Wrist · Same segment, opposite side
    Front of neck, Nape of neck · Image, head at the hand/foot
    Lower abdomen, Sacrum · Image, head toward the elbow/knee
    Solve for the Heart channel →

Clinical Notes

The point of choice for night sweating from yin deficiency — a striking example of a Xi-Cleft point with a non-acute primary use.

Combinations Using This Point

Yinxi and Houxi

HT6 and SI3, paired Heart and Small Intestine points — for cardiac pain, night sweats, malaria, red painful eyes and tinnitus.

Similar Points

Yinbai how are these connected? (Yinbai) Taixi how are these connected? (Taixi) Yinjiao how are these connected? (Yinjiao) Sanyinjiao how are these connected? (Sanyinjiao) Yinshi how are these connected? (Yinshi) Zhubin how are these connected? (Zhubin)

Sources

  • World Health Organization. WHO Standard Acupuncture Point Locations in the Western Pacific Region. Manila: WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, 2008. (Location.)
  • Focks C, ed. Atlas of Acupuncture. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2008. (Locating method and actions.)

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