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Foot greater yáng (tài yáng) bladder channel

足太阳膀胱经 〔足太陽膀胱經〕zú tài yáng páng guāng jīng

Abbreviation: BL. One of the twelve channels.

Connections

SI → BL → KI; homes to the bladder; nets the kidney.

Bladder Channel Pathway

Overview

Description

The foot greater yáng (tài yáng) bladder channel starts at the inner canthus of the eye (BL-1, jīng míng, Bright Eyes), travels upwards over the forehead, intersecting the governing (dū) vessel at GV-24 (shén tíng, Spirit Court) and the foot lesser yīn (shào yīn) gallbladder channel at GB-15 (tóu lín qì, Head Overlooking Tears). It proceeds to the vertex and again meets the governing (dū) vessel GV-20 (bǎi huì, Hundred Convergences).

A branch (1) separates at the vertex and descends to the area just above the ear, meeting the foot lesser yáng (shào yáng) gallbladder channel at GB-7 (qū bìn, Temporal Hairline Curve), GB-8 (shuài gǔ, Valley Lead), GB-9 (天冲 tiān chōng, Celestial Hub), GB-10 (fú bái, Floating White), GB-11 (tóu qiào yīn, Head Orifice Yīn), and GB-12 (wán gǔ, Completion Bone).

At the vertex, the main pathway submerges. While passing through the surface of the head to meet the governing vessel at GB-12 (wán gǔ, Completion Bone), it also enters the cranium to net with the brain and reemerges at the nape (tiān zhù, BL-10, Celestial Pillar). It then descends the nape and the muscles of the medial aspect of the scapula, meeting the governing vessel again at GV-14 (dà zhuī, Great Hammer) and GV-13 (táo dào, Kiln Path). It continues downward, parallel to the spine at 1.5 cùn from it, to the lumbus. Note that it is on this section of the pathway down the back that the commonly used back transport (bèi shù) points are found. At the lumbus, the channel submerges, follows the paravertebral muscles, and nets the kidney before homing to the bladder.

A branch (2) separating at the lumbus runs across the buttock and the posterior midline of the thighs to the popliteal fossa behind the knee (BL-40, wěi zhōng, Bend Center).

A further branch (3) separating at the nape descends lateral to the paravertebral branch mentioned above, 3 cùn from the spine, along the medial border of the scapula to the hip joint at the buttock, where it crosses the buttock and intersects with the gallbladder channel at GB-30 (huán tiào, Jumping Round). It then passes down the posterolateral aspect of the thigh to meet the other branch of the same channel in the popliteal fossa (BL-40, wěi zhōng, Bend Center). The channel continues down through the gastrocnemius muscle, emerges posterior to the lateral malleolus, and then runs along the lateral margin of the fifth metatarsal bone, crossing its tuberosity, to the lateral tip of the little toe at BL-67 (zhì yīn, Reaching Yīn), where it meets the lesser yīn (shào yīn) kidney channel.

Bladder Channel Acupoints

Indications of BL Acupoints

The 67 points on the foot greater yáng (tài yáng) bladder (tài yáng) channel treat diseases of the bladder and conditions in areas traversed by the channel, e.g., head, nape, ears, eyes, back, lumbus, and lower limbs. The points on the pathways running down the back form a set known as the back transport (bèi shù) points, which are used to treat disease of the viscus or bowel after which it is named. For this reason, bladder channel points have the widest range of indications of all the channels and vessels.

Major BL points

BL-13 (肺俞 fèi shù, Lung Transport): Located on the upper back, level with the inferior border of the spinous process of the third thoracic vertebra, 1.5 cùn lateral to the midline.

Indications for BL Points
  • Enuresis: BL 23, 28, 27, 39, 40
  • Inhibited urination: BL 31, 32, 33, 34, 28
  • Water swelling: BL 22, 20, 23, 52
  • Epilepsy: BL 15, 62, 63, 18
  • Dizziness: BL 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 18, 58, 60, 62, 65, 66
  • Tinnitus: BL 8, 23
  • Insomnia: BL 20, 15, 62
  • Night sweating: BL 13, 17, 43
  • Wind damage (common cold): BL 12
  • Panting: BL 13, 17, 42, 43, 44, 45
  • Rib-side pain: BL 18, 19, 21, 47
  • Bitter taste in the mouth: BL 19
  • Vomiting: BL 14, 17, 20, 21, 22, 40, 46.47, 49
  • Diarrhea: BL 20, 22, 25, 26, 28, 35, 40, 47, 48, 49
  • Constipation: BL 25, 28, 33, 34, 51, 57
  • Abdominal distension: BL 20, 21, 22 25, 26, 27, 39, 49, 50, 53
  • Nosebleed: BL 4, 7, 18, 58, 60, 66
  • Vomiting of blood 吐血: BL 13, 15, 17, 18
  • Bloody stool: BL 20, 35
  • Bloody urine: BL 27
  • Hemorrhoids: BL 35, 36, 54, 56, 57
  • Difficult delivery: BL 67, 60
  • Menstrual irregularities: BL 23, 30, 32, 33
  • Seminal loss: BL 23, 27, 30, 43, 52
  • Impotence: BL 23, 52

BL-15 (心俞 xīn shù, Heart Transport): Located on the upper back, level with the inferior border of the spinous process of the fifth thoracic vertebra, 1.5 cùn lateral to the midline.

BL-17 (膈俞 gé shù, Diaphragm Transport): Located on the upper back, level with the inferior border of the spinous process of the seventh thoracic vertebra, 1.5 cùn lateral to the midline.

BL-18 (肝俞 gān shù, Liver Transport): Located on the back, level with the inferior border of the spinous process of the ninth thoracic vertebra, 1.5 cùn lateral to the midline.

BL-20 (脾俞 pí shù, Spleen Transport): Located on the back, level with the inferior border of the spinous process of the eleventh thoracic vertebra, 1.5 cùn lateral to the midline.

BL-21 (胃俞 wèi shù, Stomach Transport): Located on the back, level with the inferior border of the spinous process of the twelfth thoracic vertebra, 1.5 cùn lateral to the midline.

BL-23 (肾俞 shèn shù, Kidney Transport): Located on the lower back, level with the inferior border of the spinous process of the second lumbar vertebra, 1.5 cùn lateral to the midline.

BL-25 (大肠俞 dà cháng shù, Large Intestine Transport): Located on the lower back, level with the inferior border of the spinous process of the fourth lumbar vertebra, 1.5 cùn lateral to the midline.

BL-28 (膀胱俞 páng guāng shù, Bladder Transport): Located on the sacrum, level with the second sacral foramen, 1.5 cùn lateral to the midline.

BL-40 (委中 wěi zhōng, Bend Center): Located on the posterior aspect of the knee, at the midpoint of the popliteal crease.

BL-52 (志室 zhì shì, Will Chamber): Located on the lower back, level with the inferior border of the spinous process of the second lumbar vertebra, 3 cùn lateral to the midline.

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