Biomaterial Database

[Qi Runs Through Acupuncture Needle Stimulation and Pulse Diagnosis:Our Considerations About Connotations of Qi in Acupuncture-Diagnosis-Treatment Scriptures in Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon]. 2017

Shan Jiang, and Jing-Sheng Zhao

Institute of Acu-moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China.

The ancient classic work Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon has abundant expositions about the relationship between the acupuncture needle manipulation and pulse diagnosis. However, the relevant imparting and inheritance situations are relatively weaker nowadays probably due to the rapid development of modern diagnosis-therapeutic techniques and some faults or careless omission in understanding classical medical works. Qi, a core concept of the abundant expositions in Inner Canon, has seldom been thoroughly interpreted about its connotations. For this reason, in the present paper, the authors make a careful explanation about the connotations of Qi in Inner Canon from 1) the concept of Qikou (a superficial window of the body reflecting the functional state of internal organs), 2) pulse conditions, 3) its relationship with meridian-collateral diagnosis, and 4) the link between acupuncture needle stimulation and pulse diagnosis based on the scriptures and words description in combination with many scholars' doctrines, trying to explore its profound significance. In addition, the authors also expound its association with the effectiveness of distant treatment of acupuncture and the characteristics in relation to ancient medical scholars' thoughts.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008513	Medicine in Literature	Written or other literary works whose subject matter is medical or about the profession of medicine and related areas.	Literature, Medicine in,in Literature, Medicine
D008516	Medicine, Chinese Traditional	A system of traditional medicine which is based on the beliefs and practices of the Chinese culture.	Chinese Medicine, Traditional,Chung I Hsueh,Traditional Medicine, Chinese,Zhong Yi Xue,Chinese Traditional Medicine,Traditional Chinese Medicine,Traditional Tongue Assessment,Traditional Tongue Diagnosis,Hsueh, Chung I,Tongue Assessment, Traditional,Tongue Diagnoses, Traditional,Tongue Diagnosis, Traditional,Traditional Tongue Assessments,Traditional Tongue Diagnoses
D009339	Needles	Sharp instruments used for puncturing or suturing.	Hypodermic Needles,Hypodermic Needle,Needle,Needle, Hypodermic,Needles, Hypodermic
D002681	China	A country spanning from central Asia to the Pacific Ocean.	Inner Mongolia,Manchuria,People's Republic of China,Sinkiang,Mainland China
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D015670	Acupuncture Therapy	Treatment of disease by inserting needles along specific pathways or meridians. The placement varies with the disease being treated. It is sometimes used in conjunction with heat, moxibustion, acupressure, or electric stimulation.	Acupotomy,Acupuncture Treatment,Pharmacoacupuncture Therapy,Pharmacoacupuncture Treatment,Therapy, Acupuncture,Acupotomies,Acupuncture Treatments,Therapy, Pharmacoacupuncture,Treatment, Acupuncture,Treatment, Pharmacoacupuncture
D016740	Meridians	Classical loci in ACUPUNCTURE. They are main and collateral channels, regarded as a network of passages, through which vital energy (Qi) circulates and along which acupoints (ACUPUNCTURE POINTS) are distributed. The meridians are a series of 14 lines upon which more than 400 acupoints are located on the body. (The Pinyin Chinese-English Dictionary, p. 359; Dr. Wu Lancheng, Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing)	Ching Lo,Jing Luo,Jingluo,Luo, Jing
D049690	History, Ancient	The period of history before 500 of the common era.	Ancient History,Ancient History (Medicine),Ancient History of Medicine,History of Medicine, Ancient,Medicine, Ancient History,Ancient Histories (Medicine),Ancient History Medicine,Ancient History Medicines,Histories, Ancient (Medicine),History Medicine, Ancient,History Medicines, Ancient,History, Ancient (Medicine),Medicine Ancient History,Medicines, Ancient History
D019413	Qi	The vital life force in the body, supposedly able to be regulated by acupuncture. It corresponds roughly to the Greek pneuma, the Latin spiritus, and the ancient Indian prana. The concept of life-breath or vital energy was formulated as an indication of the awareness of man, originally directed externally toward nature or society but later turned inward to the self or life within. (From Comparison between Concepts of Life-Breath in East and West, 15th International Symposium on the Comparative History of Medicine - East and West, August 26-September 3, 1990, Shizuoka, Japan, pp. ix-x)	Ch'i,Life-Breath (Philosophy),Vital Energy (Philosophy),Energies, Vital (Philosophy),Energy, Vital (Philosophy),Life Breath (Philosophy)