Innervation (reaction area)

In the introduction to the lecture notes Master Tung published for his students in 1968, he wrote: “I made use of modern language to write this book to advocate the quintessence of Chinese culture and treat more severe and lingering illnesses.” (Wang, 2011).

When Master Tung published his book, Western Medicine was more widely accepted than Chinese Medicine. Therefore, he employed the term “innervation” borrowed from Western Medicine and translated as Shen Jing [神經]. He substituted the traditional Chinese Medicine term “channel” with “nerve.” In an earlier work (Chen, 1964), Ching Chang’s Unique Points and Medical Cases, he still used the term “channel” (Wang, 2011).

Master Tung’s book (Tung, 1973) provides descriptions of each point, including location, anatomy, indications, finding techniques, needle insertion, and notes. The anatomy section not only identifies the nerves along the point’s pathway but also assigns a specific innervation to one of the Zang organs. This unique approach involving point innervation distinguishes Master Tung’s acupuncture from traditional acupuncture methods.

For instance, 66.04 Huo Zhu is innervated by the sensory peroneal nerve, the dorsal phalangeal nerve, and the cardiac branch nerve. While the peroneal and dorsal phalangeal nerves do traverse the point’s pathway, the cardiac branch nerve is not anatomically present in that area; in fact, there is no such nerve. Master Tung simply used Western terms to describe his channels. The point’s innervation, therefore, serves as an indicator of its channel affiliation.

The points’ innervations can be categorized into four groups:

Most points innervate the five Zang organs. A point can innervate a single organ or, in some cases, multiple organs. For instance, 88.17 Sima Zhong primarily innervates the lungs with a sub-branch to the liver.

Some points innervate the six Fu organs. Master Tung often does not specify which Fu organ he refers to. For example, 11.02 Xiao Jian innervates the six Fu organs. In certain cases, he mentions a specific Fu organ, such as the stomach or bladder. For example, 66.05 Men Jin innervates the duodenum and assists the stomach.

The Zang organs store, whereas the Fu organs transport and eliminate waste. Consequently, points innervating the six Fu organs can treat symptoms related to excess conditions, such as 11.02 Xian Jian, which can treat yellow mucus and bloating. Another example is 66.05 Men Jin, which can treat stagnation in the lower heater (intestinal diseases and gynecological disorders).

Some points also innervate the extraordinary Fu organs, which store essence, such as the uterus, brain, and bones. For instance, 11.24 Fu Ke, a central point in Master Tung’s acupuncture for treating the female reproductive system, innervates the uterus, while 77.01 Zheng Jin innervates the spine and brain. 

Some points innervate a specific nerve or region. For example, 88.20-22 San Quan innervate the lungs and the facial motor nerve, making them important for treating facial paralysis. Qi Li (88) innervates the movement of the four limbs.

Master Tung categorized organ innervations into six types, arranged hierarchically to represent the degree of influence a point has on an organ: first-place innervations have the greatest influence, while sixth-place innervations have the least.

1. Primary nerve — [總神] Zong Shenjing
2. Nerve — [神經] Shenjing
3. Auxiliary nerve — [副神經] Fu Shenjing
4. Branch nerve — [支神經] Zhi Shenjing
5. Sub-branch nerve— [分支神經] Fenzhi Shenjing
6. Nerve intersection — [交叉正經] Jiaocha Zhengjing

A point can influence multiple nerves at different levels. For instance, the primary nerve of 88.17 Sima Zhong is the lungs, while its sub-branch nerve is the liver. This indicates that the point primarily influences the lungs, with a secondary influence on the liver.

An additional, lesser-known principle in Master Tung’s acupuncture is the mutual influence between areas with the same innervation. According to this principle, points with the same innervation can influence the areas where they reside. For instance, 77.01 Zheng Jin and Shiba Xing (DT) both have cranial innervations and therefore mutually influence each other. 77.01 Zheng Jin is situated on the Achilles tendon and can treat neck pain, as Shiba Xing (DT) is located on the dorsal aspect of the neck. Conversely, Shiba Xing (DT) can treat inflammation in the Achilles tendon, where 77.01 Zhen Jin is located.

Beyond their innervations, many point names provide additional clues about their influence on the five Zang organs. These names can generally be categorized into three groups: the five phases, the organ, and the number. Some point names also offer hints about their function or location.

Some point names incorporate the names of the five phases. The point’s name represents its influence on the five Zang organs and, in some cases, its ability to treat related pathogens. Points with the marker Jin (metal) influence the lungs, points with Shui (water) influence the kidneys, points with Mu (wood) influence the liver, points with Huo (fire) influence the heart, and points with Tu (earth) influence the spleen.

For example:

A detailed explanation of the point names can be found in the points section.

Organ names appear in certain point names, indicating their influence on the organ. For example:

Many points in Master Tung’s acupuncture have numbers in their names. In many cases, these numbers are references to the Yellow River Diagram (Hetu) [河圖] and indicate a connection to one of the five Zang organs.

The Yellow River Diagram and the Luoshu Square [洛書] are cosmological diagrams used in ancient China. They are based on numerology and explain the relationships between the hexagrams in the Book of Changes (Yijing), the universe, and man. They also served as the foundation for Early Heaven and Later Heaven diagrams.

To understand the meaning of the point numbers in Master Tung’s acupuncture, we must first discuss the Yellow River Diagram. Later in the chapter Needle Techniques and Needle Retention, I will also mention the Luoshu Square (page #).

In both diagrams, even numbers are Yin (black circles), and odd numbers are Yang (white circles). The Yellow River Diagram (see Illustration 4) explains the theory and structure (Ti) [體] behind all phenomena, the innate, primordial nature of all things. It represents the initial stage of the universe, where emptiness was divided into Yin and Yang and reunited to create the ten thousand things.

The highest number in the diagram is 10, symbolizing wholeness in Chinese numerology. If we add the odd numbers, we get 20 (1+3+5+7+9=20). If we add the even numbers, we also get 20 (2+4+6+8=20).

The Yellow River Diagram describes the creation of the universe as follows: Heaven creates water using 1, Earth creates fire using 2, Heaven creates wood using 3, Earth creates metal using 4, Heaven creates earth using 5. To complete the pairs (Yin and Yang), Earth 6 complements water 1, Heaven 7 complements fire, Earth 8 complements wood, Heaven 9 complements metal, and Earth 10 complements earth. From this description, we learn that each of the ten numbers is connected to one of the five phases. Each phase receives two numbers in the following way:

In many cases, the numbers appearing in the point names are references to the Yellow River Diagram. Points with 1 or 6 are related to the kidneys, points with 2 and 7 are related to the heart, points with 3 and 8 are related to the liver, points with 4 and 9 are related to the lungs, and points with 5 and 10 are related to the earth. For example:

Some points’ names hint at their function. For example:

Sometimes a point’s name indicates its location. For example: