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Overview of San Jiao Meridian and Acupuncture

Jun 3, 2025

San Jiao Meridian and Its 23 Acupuncture Points

Introduction

  • Presenter: Clara from AcuPro Academy
  • Focus: San Jiao organ's function, Meridian pathway, function, location of each point
  • Unique Aspect: San Jiao doesn't connect to a specific physical organ

Understanding San Jiao

  • Divided into three parts: Upper, Middle, Lower Jiao
  • Upper Jiao: Contains lung, heart, pericardium; connects to Zong Qi (gathering Qi)
  • Middle Jiao: Contains spleen, stomach, gallbladder; connects to Ying Qi (nutritive Qi) and Yang Qi
  • Lower Jiao: Contains kidney, bladder, small intestine, large intestine, and sometimes liver; connects to Yuang Qi (Source Qi)
  • Liver can appear in both Middle and Lower Jiao
  • San Jiao's role is akin to the lymphatic system, detoxifying and managing damp/heat

Clinical Application

  • Dampness & Heat: Treatment varies based on affected Jiao
  • Example: Treating dampness in spleen and heat in stomach
    • Relieve heat with Large Intestine 11, Ren 12, Pericardium 6, Ren 17
    • Address dampness with Spleen 9, Spleen 3, Spleen 6
    • Use San Jiao points to solidify treatment

Meridian Pathway

  • San Jiao Meridian: Hand meridian (Shaoyang Meridian)
  • Active between 9:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.
  • Starts at 4th finger, ascends along dorsum of hand, up to shoulder, into body, connecting to pericardium, flows through all Jiaos
  • Two branches: One ascends to the head, other finishes at the eyebrow

Key San Jiao Points

San Jiao 1-5

  • SJ1: Located on ring finger; expels external pathogens, clears heat
  • SJ2 & SJ3: Ying spring and Shu stream points; treat face pathogens, fever, sore throat
  • SJ4: Yuan source point; treats wrist pain, cold, Shaoyang syndrome
  • SJ5: Luo connecting point; treats cheek, ear issues, temple headaches and is confluent with the yang wei vessel

San Jiao 6-9

  • SJ6: Jing river point; used for constipation, especially during pregnancy
  • SJ7: She cleft point; great for pain along the Meridian
  • SJ8 & SJ9: Local points for pain management

San Jiao 10-15

  • SJ10: Underutilized he-Sea point; transforms physical phlegm
  • SJ11-15: Address musculoskeletal issues around the shoulder

San Jiao 16-23

  • SJ16-23: Address ear, neck, face, temporal issues
  • SJ23: Used for eye twitching, dizziness, combines well with yin meridians for balance

Clinical Pearls

  • Combine points for better treatment outcomes
  • Use points for specific conditions like pregnancy or to combat chronic issues
  • Consider yin-yang balance when selecting points

Conclusion

  • San Jiao Meridian plays a crucial role in TCM for addressing various systemic and local issues
  • Acupuncture helps in immediate response post-injury and chronic conditions

Additional Resources

  • For more information and visual aids, Clara's "Acupoint Made Easy Book" is recommended

These notes summarize the key points from the lecture, providing a high-level overview of the San Jiao Meridian and its applications in Chinese medicine.

Full transcript