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PC-5 Intermediary Courier

间使 〔間使〕 jiān shǐ

Alternate names: 鬼路 guǐ lù, Ghost Road

Channel: PC, hand reverting yīn (jué yīn) pericardium channel

Modern location: An acupoint located on the palmar aspect of the forearm, 3 cùn proximal to the wrist crease, between the tendons of the palmaris longus and the flexor carpi radialis muscles.

Classical location: In the depression between the two sinews, three cùn from the wrist. From The Golden Mirror of Medicine (医宗金鑑 yī zōng jīn jiàn)

Local anatomy: The median artery and vein; deeper, the anterior interosseous artery and vein. The medial and lateral antebrachial cutaneous nerves, the palmar cutaneous branch of the median nerve; at the deepest level, the anterior interosseous nerve.

Action: Nourishes the heart and quiets the spirit; loosens the chest, transforms phlegm, and harmonizes the stomach; soothes the sinews and quickens the network vessels.

Modern indications: Heart pain; heart palpitation; stomach pain; retching and vomiting; febrile disease; malarial disease; mania and withdrawal; epilepsy.

Classical indications: Heart pain; heart palpitations; chest impediment (xiōng bì); vexation and agitation; febrile disease with heart vexation; throat feeling as if blocked; loss of voice; enduring malaria; menstrual irregularities with clotted menstrual discharge; red face and yellow eyes; ghost evil.

Needle stimulus: Needling: 0.5‒1.0 cùn perpendicular insertion. Moxa: 3‒5 cones; pole 5‒15 min.

Needle sensation: Distension and numbness, sometimes spreading down to the hands, or upward to the elbow or armpit.

Point groups: River (jīng) (metal) point.

Point name meaning:

In this point name, 间 (jiān), meaning between, recalls the location of PC-5 between the two sinews. 使 (shǐ), to employ, refers to the function of the pericardium to protect the heart, the sovereign viscus. If 间 is taken in the slightly different sense of to come between, the point name can be seen to emphasize the pericardium’s function of interceding for the heart, just as a minister takes the heat for the emperor. See acupoint names: origins, meanings, and translations.

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