Spirit of the Points: Shénmén HT-7

In the second installation of the series, “Spirit of the points,” we examine acupuncture point Shénmén HT-7. As a Yuan-source point on the heart channel it is a potent access point to the imperial temple of the Heart to treat a variety of both physical and mental afflictions. Shénmén HT-7

The Spirit of the Points: 中府 Zhōngfǔ, Lung 1

Tang dynasty scholar and patron saint of Chinese medicine Sun Simiao stated that “the indications of an acupuncture point can be found within its name.” Modern TCM’s numeration of the acu-points has focused the study of acupuncture to point locations and indications, and where point names have been translated they are generally limited to the…

Circulating the Vital Breath: The Xíng Qì Jade Inscription

The Xíng Qì, or Circulating Qì, is a succint treatise of cultivating the Vital Breath, or Qì. Engraved on a dodecagonal block of jade in what appears to be Seal Script, the inscription dates to a conjectural 400 BC, before the establishment of Daoism as an institutionalized corpus of political and personal influence. 行氣 Circulating…