From its earliest roots, medical practice in China has included an appreciation of the cycles of time and season which are main subject areas of Chinese Astrology. The Huang-Di Nei-Jing, or "Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic" is a collection of texts of the Warring States Period (5th Cent. - 3rd Cent BCE). Though Huang-Di is a legendary Emperor of the 27th Cent. BCE, and the actual texts included in the Nei-Jing may not come from that early a date, it is certainly believable that the point of view and medical applications they express spring from at least that far back in Chinese culture.
Starting from the principles of harmony within Nature expressed in the Nei-Jing and elaborated in the HAN Dynasty Nei-Jing, or "Classic on Difficulty" (ca. 100 BCE - 100 CE), He Ruo Yu, in 1153 CE, wrote the first text describing a technique of selecting points for acupuncture in relation to the flow of QI in the body according to the time of day, and to the day in the astrological calendar. This JIN Dynasty text, with annotations by Yan Ming-Guang, is the Zi-Wu Liu-Zhu Jing, or "Classic on Midday-Midnight Flowing-and-Pooling". It has come down to us through quotation in "The Complete Volume of Acupuncture and Moxibustion" by Xe Feng. This MING Dynasty source is also the first appearance of LING-GUI BA-FA, or "Eight-part Technique of the Mysterious Turtle," a system of point selection by time, based on the qualities of the LUO SHU, or the NINE STAR Magic Square.
In China, these two systems, with a number of others, have held an important place in acupunctural practice for centuries. In modern times, research has been undertaken under contemporary scientific guidelines demonstrating the efficacy of these techniques, especially in cases particularly resistant to treatment. In clinical application, the systems can be used to support each other, as well as to support whatever conventional points are suggested by diagnosis and treatment strategy. "Open" points appropriate to particular conditions can be used for added efficacy if they happen to occur at the time of the patient's treatment. On the other hand, a practitioner may wish to select a particular time for a patient's treatment, when points appropriate to the patient's condition will be "open".
OPEN CHANNELS
For practitioners in the West, a significant impediment to studying and mastering these systems of timely point selection has been the difficulty of translating the western calendar into the Chinese date, in order to determine the "open" points. TONG SHU Online solves this difficulty by placing four different systems of point selection conveniently in view for each hour of each day. In addition, the DAILY CHANNEL (associated with the STEM of the Day) is noted at the top-left of the Acupuncture Page, and the HOURLY CHANNEL (associated with the BRANCH of the Hour) is noted to the right of the box showing the STEM and BRANCH of each Hour.
OPEN POINTS
The four open point systems shown in columns for each Chinese "hour" (of 120 minutes):
| note: The principal points open during each "hour" are shown, with the secondary points below them (in parentheses). In clinical practice, the principal point within each system is needled first, followed by the secondary point or points (if any), followed by any other points to be used in the treatment. |
ZI-WU LIU-ZHU: a system using the five SHU points of the Twelve Channels. The points listed are derived by the "Method of Adopting Stems", sometimes seconded by the Source points of the YANG channels, and the Stream points of the YIN channels. When no points are "open", a substitute or "mutual" point can be used, derived from the YIN-YANG partner for the STEM of the Day. The "mutual" points are indicated by an asterisk (*) before them. Also, as this system yields no "open" points for most of the hours during the tenth day of the STEM cycle (GUI), a modern authority, LIU BING QUAN, has suggested substitution points according to the annotations of YAN MING GUANG: these points are shown in brackets [ ].
LING-GUI BA-FA: a system using the Eight Points of Confluence (between Regular Channels and Extra Channels). The points are derived through calculations based on the STEM and BRANCH of both the Day and the Hour.
FEI-TENG BA-FA (Eight-Part Technique of Soaring Upwards"): another system based on the LUO SHU, or NINE STARS Magic Square, and using the Eight Points of Confluence. The points are assigned according to the STEM of the Hour. This system first appeared in the "BIAN QUE Jade Dragon Classic with Marvelous Efficacy" in 1329, compiled by the YUAN Dynasty scholar, Wang Guo Rui.
"Husband-and-Wife": also based on the LUO SHU, and using the Source points of the Twelve Channels in partnerships based on the affinities of the STEMS of the Days. Its first appearance is also in the YUAN Dynasty "BIAN QUE Jade Dragon Classic" of WANG GUO RUI. The Source points here are those cited in QIAO JIN YAO FANG, or "Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold for Emergencies" by Sun Si Miao in 652 (TANG Dynasty).
Please Note: TONG SHU Online presents the data from these point-selection systems as an informational service only, and with no medical warranty, express or implied. The descriptions of these systems are presented for ready reference only, and are not to be taken as a substitute for competent instruction in the theory and use of systems of point selection by time. Further information should be obtained through appropriate instruction or reference works.