The Amazing Functions of the Meridians

By Mu Shan

Trans. by Lin Wei

While the treatment of disease in Western medicine (WM) is believed to have been based on an anatomical system, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) was founded on the meridian system, one of its fundamental theories, which seems quite amazing to Westerners.

As The Yellow Emperor’s Canon of Medicine states, “It is the meridians that determine people’s birth, the causes of illness, the therapeutic treatment…. In a way, the meridians enable us to determine life and death, ascertain all diseases, and adjust xu (deficiency) and shi (excess); one must therefore not be ignorant of them”. Obviously, as a core theory of TCM, the meridian system, with its ancient origin and current validity, has been playing a significant role in treating and preventing diseases and guiding rehabilitation for the Chinese people over the past two thousand years.

According to the “Measurement of Meridians” (Chapter 17) in The Spiritual Pivot, “The meridians are internal trunks, and their horizonal branches are collaterals”. The system of meridians and collaterals is mainly composed of twelve regular meridians and fifteen regular collaterals (plus other irregular ones). Spreading all over the body, these meridians and collaterals pertain to the “interior” viscera and bowels and extend to the “exterior” extremities, joints and organs, integrating them into an organic whole. Through this network qi and blood are transported and biological information transmitted.

As early as over two thousand years ago, there was a practice of “pricking meridians and collaterals” (to cool down the body temperature by releasing a bit of blood along meridians and collaterals), from which meteorite massage, acupuncture, cupping, herbal medicine and other treatments were developed.

Unlike the approach of Western medicine, which is basically “treating the head when one has a headache and curing the feet when the feet hurt”, TCM, based on the meridian system, may treat the feet for headaches, the liver for eye complaints, the kidneys for hearing problems, to achieve remarkable curative results. By the same token, applying the theory of meridians to acupuncture, certain acupoints that are on the affected channel but far from the site of discomfort may be chosen for treatment, such as Zusanlion (ST36) on the lower leg for stomach trouble, or Taichong (LR3) on the top of the foot for hypochondriac pain. Chinese herbal medicine also goes through these channels to reach the diseases to exert its therapeutic effects. For example, when ephedra (Herba Ephedrae) is taken into the lung channel or bladder channel, it can induce sweating, stop wheezing or become diuretic.

What are the meridians then? In exploring this secret, a lot of scholarly research has been done both at home and abroad, and various hypotheses have emerged. Currently, the common understanding is that meridians are not identical to the circulatory or the nervous system, but channels for transporting qi and blood (the material foundation for human physical activities). By way of meridians and collaterals, qi and blood are spread over all of the body, warming and moisturizing the viscera, tissues and organs, maintaining the normal physiological functions of the body. In modern medical language, this concept may be expressed as meridians being channels for exchanging energy between cell clusters, body fluids and tissue fluids, constituting a network cluster group with low electrical resistance that can transmit neural information and bioelectrical signals.

At the same time, meridians are also sensitive to receiving stimulation and transmitting message. When a certain part of the body is stimulated, the induction will be conveyed along the meridians to the relevant organs of the body. The corresponding physiological or pathological changesoccurring will also be manifested on the body surface through the meridians. The so-called “qi sensation” patients feel vividly indicates this meridian induction and transmission.

In TCM, “qi is the commander of blood and blood is the mother of qi”, namely the qi of the human body comes from the transformation of the blood; qi, in turn, promotes blood circulation and controls the rhythm of the blood flow withinthe meridians and collaterals.

In medical practice, the division of labor may be divided in the following way: problems due to the “invisible” meridians should be treated by TCM; any maladies found in “visible” channels, such as blood vessels, respiratory tracts, lymph glands, or the nervous system should be dealt with by WM.

Combined with modern medical technologies, the meridian-based treatments discovered in ancient China will surely produce even more miraculous therapeutic effects than either treatment system used alone.