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Alternate names: 太泉 tài quán, Great Spring

Channel: LU, hand greater yīn (tài yīn) lung channel

Modern location: An acupoint located on the palmar aspect of the wrist, in the depression at the radial end of the wrist crease, between the radial artery and the abductor pollicis longus tendon.

Classical location: At the pulsating vessel, at the inner extremity of the crease, behind the hand. From The Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion (针灸大成 zhēn jiǔ dà chéng)

Local anatomy: The radial artery and vein. The lateral antebrachial cutaneous nerve and the superficial ramus of the radial nerve.

Action: Dispels wind and transforms phlegm; rectifies the lung and suppresses cough; clears and depurates upper burner and lung qì.

Modern indications: Panting; cough; coughing of blood; painful swollen throat; pain in the chest and medial aspect of the forearm.

Classical indications: Panting and fullness in the chest; eye pain and eye screens; throat impediment (hóu bì); toothache; headache; pain in the clavicle; pain along the inner face of the forearm; heart pain; chest impediment (xiōng bì); cold reversal; retching; shivering; dry pharynx; manic raving; pain or lack of strength in the wrist; generalized heat effusion and sweating in warm disease; cold in the palms; lack of radial pulse.

Needle stimulus: Needling: 0.2‒0.3 cùn perpendicular insertion. Moxa: 1‒3 cones; pole 3‒5 min.

Needle sensation: Localized twinge and distension.

Point groups: Stream (shù) (earth) and source (yuán) point; meeting (huì) point of the vessels.

Point name meaning:

• 太 tài: great, very
• 渊 yuān: abyss, deep source (of water)

The three dots on the left side of the character 渊 (yuān) indicate that it represents an abyss from which water flows (the three dots are an abbreviated form of the character for water). In this sense, it is much the same as the characters 源 and 原, which are both pronounced yuán and can mean source or origin. LU-9 is the source (yuán) point of the lung channel and the meeting (huì) point of the vessels, thus the qì here is plentiful and deep like an abyss. The 渊 (abyss) portion of the point name underscores the relationship between LU-9 and source qì, describes the nature of the qì at the point, and brings to mind the point’s location in a depression. LU-9 is a great abyss because it is more than simply the source (yuán) point of the lung channel; it is also the earth point of the metal channel, and since in the five phases, earth engenders metal, LU-9 can be said to be the source of metal qì on the lung channel.

A spring (i.e., a mountain spring) is an origin or source, and an alternate name for LU-9 is Great Spring. The two names thus return to the same meaning. See acupoint names: origins, meanings, and translations.

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