承靈 : Chengling : Support Spirit

Location Guides:

Classifications:

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

Meetings:

Meeting of Gall Bladder with Yang Wei Mai

Location:

In the parietal region, on a curved line drawn between Toulinqi GB-15 and Fengchi GB-20, following the contour of the cranium, 1.5 cun posterior to Zhengying GB-19, directly lateral to Baihui Du-20.

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 and moxaed with five cones" (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經).

TCM Actions:

Benefits the head and alleviates pain
Benefits the nose and descends Lung Qi

TCM Indications:

• Headache, Brain Wind, dizziness, eye pain.
  
• Rhinitis and nosebleed, nasal congestion, dyspnoea, cough, aversion to wind and cold.

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: CN V1 ophthalamic branch of trigeminal

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:

• Nosebleed with stifled breathing:
    Chengling GB-18 with Fengchi GB-20, Fengmen Bl-12, Yixi Bl-45 and Houxi SI-3
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).

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 Toulingqi GB-15, Muchuang GB-16, Zhengying GB-17 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.

This points indications for "snivelling and nosebleed with nasal congestion and panting with shortness of breath" are unusual among the scalp points for being Lung signs but Yue Hanzhen explains that this is due to its location on the vertex where it can be struck by Wind and Cold (Yue, 17th Century, Explanation of Channels and Points Vol. 2, p.182). Presumably this is because Cold naturally descends from high places (the cold upper atmosphere) making the vertex the most vulnerable point for Cold invasion, just as Fengchi GB-20 is be vulnerable to the horizontal motion of Wind attacking from behind (ibid. 185).

Among the Gall Bladder points of the head, there appear to be some that indicate they are special points for influencing the five Zang, similar to the Front-Shu of the chest on the Kidney channel. The indications for Lung disorders for this point would make it a suitable candidate for the head-Shu for the Lung.

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