頭臨泣 : Toulinqi : Head Governor of Tears

Location Guides:

Classifications:

One of the "59 piercings" for clearing Heat in Su Wen Ch. 61

Meetings:

Meeting of Gall Bladder with Bladder and Yang Wei Mai

Location:

On the forehead, directly above Yangbai GB-14, 0.5 cun within the anterior hairline, midway between Shenting Du-24 and Touwei St-8.

Needling:

Transverse insertion 0.5 - 1.5 cun in the direction of symptoms or to connect with other points.

Classical Needling:

"The Shaoyang usually has little Blood and much Qi" (Su Wen 素問 ch. 24) implying this channel should normally be needled.
"The foot Shaoyang is to be pierced 4 fen deep and remain inserted for five exhalations" (Ling Shu 靈樞 ch. 12).
"It is needled to a depth of three fen, (the needle) is retained for a duration of seven exhalations, and it is moxaed with three cones" (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經).

TCM Actions:

Eliminates Wind, benefits the head and alleviates pain
Benefits the nose and eyes

TCM Indications:

• Nasal congestion, nasal congestion with aversion to cold.
  
• Headache, head wind, Visual Dizziness, pain of the occiput and forehead, pain of the supraorbital ridge.
  
• Redness and pain of the eyes, Superficial Visual Obstruction, lacrimation on exposure to wind, pain at the outer canthus.
  
• Windstroke (中風, Zhong Feng)Windstroke, epilepsy, loss of consciousness, Malarial (瘧, Nue) Disorders, pain of the supraclavicular fossa, swelling of the axilla.

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: Supraorbital nerve, from ophthalamic branch of trigeminal (CN V1)

Dermatome Segment: CN V1 ophthalamic branch of trigeminal

Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

See Montaigue, Dim Mak Locations, Taijiworld.com for explanation of effects.

Major Combinations:

• Lacrimation on exposure to wind:
    Toulinqi GB-15 with Touwei St-8, Jingming Bl-1 and Fengchi GB-20
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Lacrimation:
    Toulinqi GB-15 with Touwei St-8
    (Gao Wu, 高武, 1529: Bai Zheng Fu, 百症賦, Ode of a Hundred Symptoms).
  
  
• Visual Dizziness:
    Toulinqi GB-15 with Zhongzhu SJ-3
    (Wang Zhizhong, 王執中, 1220: Zhen Jiu Zi Sheng Jing, 針灸資生經, Classic of Supporting Life with Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Superficial Visual Obstruction:
    Toulinqi GB-15 with Ganshu Bl-18
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Red eyes and bleeding from Yingxiang LI-20 (nosebleed):
    Toulinqi GB-15 with Taichong Liv-3 and Hegu LI-4
    (Anon, nd, Shi Si Jing Yao Xue Zhu Zhi Ge, 十四經要穴主治歌, Song of the Points of the Fourteen Primary Channels).
  
  
• Nasal congestion:
    Toulinqi GB-15 with Tongtian Bl-7
    (Wang Zhizhong, 王執中, 1220: Zhen Jiu Zi Sheng Jing, 針灸資生經, Classic of Supporting Life with Acupuncture and Moxibustion).

Notes:

The "59 piercings" are named in the Su Wen Ch. 61 and mentioned in Su Wen Ch. 32 for treating Heat diseases. This point along with Muchuang GB-16, Zhengying GB-17, Chengling GB-18 and Naokong Bl-9 clear Heat from counterflow in the foot Shaoyang Gall Bladder channel.

Ling Shu Ch. 24, On Counterflow Diseases, seems to employs this set of points in treating headache, dizziness and heaviness of the head. It advises draining from the five points on each of the five channels on the top of the head, including this point, followed by the hand Shaoyin and then foot Shaoyin.

Among the Gall Bladder points of the head, there appear to be some that indicate they are special points for influencing the Zangfu and Channels, similar to the Front or Back Shu points. The intersection with the Taiyang Bladder channel, giving it influence over symptoms of Taiyang Wind Strike like nasal congestion with aversion to cold, lacrimation on exposure to Wind and pain of the occiput would make it a suitable candidate for the head-Shu for the Bladder.

It could also be a suitable head-Shu point for the Dai Mai based on the Ming dynasty attribution of Zulinqi GB-41 as the opening point of Dai Mai.

In Thai massage:
Acupressure point facial pain/numbness/paralysis (Salguero & Roylance, 2011, Encyclopedia of Thai Massage)

Reference Notes:

Basic information on location, needle depth, TCM actions, indications and combinations is taken from Deadman et al (2001): A Manual of Acupuncture with additional anatomical information researched by reference to Gray's Anatomy (38th Ed., 1995) unless otherwise referenced. Images were found on acupunctureschoolonline.com and can be traced back to Claudia Focks (2008) Atlas of Acupuncture originally. I cannot claim any credit or rights over them. Other sources should be quoted in the text.

For some of the more unusual terms I have created a glossary here