Janu
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Janu means “knee”, and there are two Janu points on the knee, one on top of the knee cap, the other on the back of the knee, at the midpoint of the main knee crease (Lad & Durve, 2008).
Both are indicated for general knee disorders, such as pain, tenderness and swelling, and weakness in the knee. Posterior Janu, on the back of the knee, has slightly wider applications, enhancing pranic flow and cerebral circulation, relieving respiratory distress, and treating low back pain and sciatica (Lad & Durve, 2008).
No acupuncture point is located on the top of the knee cap. There are three points surrounding the knee: Hè ding (a non-channel point designated M-LE-27), on the upper border of the kneecap, and two points below the knee cap and on either side of the major patellar ligament, lateral and medial Xi yan (non-channel points designated M-LE-16). All these points are indicated, generally, for knee disorders, and the two Xi yan are considered some of the most important points for any knee issue.
There is a major acupuncture point corresponding with posterior Janu, Wei zhong (Urinary Bladder (UB) 40). The importance of this point, amongst the hundreds of acupuncture points on the body, is indicated by its being listed as a Gao Wu “Command Point”, as well as one of Ma Dan-yang’s “Heavenly Star” points.
The four Command Points were first listed in a Ming dynasty text written by Gao Wu and were considered some of the most clinically useful points of the body, able to treat any disorder of their respective areas (Deadman & Al-Khafaji, 1998). Wei zhong is the Command point, and is, thus, able treat any disorder (of any etiology) of the low back and knees. The other points and their respective areas of affect are:
Zú san li Stomach (St) 36 – Command point for the abdomen, located just outside the shin bone, below the knee,
Liè que Lung (Lu) 7 – Command point for head and nape, located 1.5 cùn above the wrist crease, on the outside of the arm just beyond a bony protuberance (you can locate this point by placing the webs (the area between the index finger and thumb) of your hands together and laying the index finger down over the outside edge of the opposite arm; where the tip of the index finger falls is this point), and
Hé gu Large Intestine (LI) 4 – Command point of the face and mouth, located in the center of the web of the hand between the index finger and thumb (the top of the mound when thumb and index finger brought together).
Plus two points were added by later generations:
Nèi guan Pericardium (Pc) 6 – Command point for the chest and lateral costal region (ribcage and sides of the body), located two cùn above the center of the wrist crease on the inside of the arm (when flexing the hand into a fist a dip between the two major tendons is made; the point is in the dip), and
Rén zhong Du (aka GV for Governing Vessel) 26 – for resuscitation (can use aggressive finger pressure/massage or the edge of a fingernail), located above the upper lip, in the groove of the philtrum.
Wei zhong is also the Hé “Sea” or “Uniting” point of the Urinary Bladder channel. The hé point is one of the five Shu points that occur on the channels beginning at the fingertips and tips of the toes and ending at the elbows or knees with the hé point. Amongst the shu points, qì is said to flow like water from a well (the first point, at the tips of fingers and toes), to a spring, then, stream, river, and, finally, into the sea, the hé point.
At the hé points, energy dives deeply into the body. (For those sensitive to energy flow, it is easy to feel this flow of energy and the sensation of that energy being lost, because it dives deeper, at the elbows and knees – Relax arms and hands completely. Then “inhale” through the fingers drawing energy up the fingers and arms, like drawing water through a straw. It’s relatively easy to feel and follow until you come to the elbows and knees.)
Wei zhong’s power and usefulness is further indicated by its being listed by the famous Jin dynasty Taoist physician Ma Dan-yang as one of his eleven (a twelfth was added later) “Heavenly Star” points. He considered these points, four of which comprise the aforementioned “Command Points”, to be the most important acupuncture points on the body (Deadman & Al-Khafaji, 1998).
As already mentioned, Wei zhong is powerful in treating the low back and knees, no matter the reason or cause of suffering. The point also has a strong action in draining heat from the body and “cooling the blood” (e.g. treating skin conditions due to internal heat or fire).
Mentally and emotionally, Wei zhong is on the Urinary Bladder channel, of the water phase. The (negative, pathological) emotions associated with the water phase have to do with reserves, having enough and distributing them appropriately. If we don’t have enough, for instance, to make it through a long, cold winter (associated with water, as well), we may experience a deep, sinking, almost primal fear.
That fear of insufficient resources reflects the state of the kidney system, the yin aspect of water. The Urinary Bladder is the yang partner of water and displays more of a panic to the state and availability of basic resources. The UB has to do with divvying up and expressing those resources. (The UB channel runs down the back in multiple lines, with points corresponding with the reserves of each internal organ running along the spine.)
Wei zhong is the point on the channel corresponding with the earth phase, which means it is the representative of earth-type energy on this water channel. Strengthening this point can help bring inner stability, the grounding and assurance of earth, to calm water-type fear.
Mental-emotional imbalances best treated with this point will involve worry in a person who tends to anxiety and getting overwhelmed easily (worry, being associated with earth, occurring in a person with panic/anxiety and resource challenges, i.e. water-type issues) (Jarrett, 2003).
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Deadman, P. & Al-Khafaji, M. (1998). A Manual of Acupuncture. East Sussex, England: Journal of Chinese Medicine Publications.
Jarrett, L. (2003). The Clinical Practice of Chinese Medicine. Stockbridge, MA: Spirit Path Press.
Lad, V. & Durve, A. (2008). Marma Points of Ayurveda. Albuquerque, NM: The Ayurvedic Press.
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