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All lessons   Module 7: Treatment   Lesson 5

Module 7   Lesson 5   Gan Pi

Treatment plans: Liver and Spleen

How does a Liver or Spleen pattern become a defensible point set, with a reason for each point?

After this lesson you can turn each core pattern of the Liver and Spleen into a set with a reason for each point, see which points form the core and which colour the pattern, adjust a set when Heat, Blood deficiency, Dampness or Cold is added, and know the sets for the other Liver and Spleen patterns in outline. Study material; the sets come from modules 1 and 6, and additions are labelled as textbook knowledge.

Liver: LR-3 is the pivot the rest of the set colours the pattern Spleen: a fixed core ST-36, SP-3, CV-12, BL-20; additions colour it 1 Liver-Qi stagnation move Liver-Qi LR-3, LR-14, GB-34, PC-6, TE-6 2 Liver-Fire clear Liver-Fire LR-2, LR-3, GB-20, LI-11 3 Liver-Yang rising subdue Yang, nourish the root LR-3, GB-20, GB-43, KI-3, SP-6 4 Liver-Blood deficiency nourish Liver-Blood, without LR-3 LR-8, SP-6, ST-36, CV-4, BL-18, BL-20 5 Liver invading the Spleen harmonise the Liver, tonify the Spleen LR-13, LR-3, ST-36, SP-6, CV-6 6 Spleen-Qi deficiency tonify Spleen-Qi: the core ST-36, SP-3, SP-6, CV-12, BL-20, BL-21 7 Spleen-Yang deficiency warm: the core with moxa the core, moxa on CV-6, CV-12, BL-20 8 Spleen deficiency with Dampness tonify the Spleen, resolve Dampness ST-36, SP-3, SP-6, SP-9, CV-12 9 Damp-Heat clear Heat, drain Dampness; do not tonify yet SP-9, SP-6, LI-11, plus the site 10 Damp-Phlegm resolve Phlegm, tonify the Spleen ST-40, SP-9, CV-12, PC-6, ST-36
Schematic; the sets are those of module 1, lesson 6. Fill as there: blue Deficiency, red Excess, white with a dotted border a mixed pattern; red border Heat, blue border Cold. Bold: the pivot and the core.

Know by heart

  • Liver: LR-3 is the pivot. In patterns 1, 2, 3 and 5. The rest colours the set: GB-34, PC-6, TE-6 and LR-14 move (1); LR-2 and LI-11 clear (2); GB-20 and GB-43 bring down, KI-3 and SP-6 nourish (3).
  • Pattern 4 without LR-3. LR-8 (the mother point), SP-6, ST-36, CV-4, BL-18, BL-20: nourish, do not move. mnemonic: you do not stir an empty store, you fill it.
  • Spleen: the core. ST-36, SP-3, CV-12, BL-20 (with SP-6 and BL-21) is pattern 6. Moxa on it makes it warming (7); SP-9 drains Dampness (8, 9); ST-40 resolves Phlegm, with PC-6 for the chest and nausea (10); LI-11 clears Heat (9).
  • Pattern 5: LR-13 is the hinge. Front-Mu of the Spleen and Hui of the Zang, with LR-3 for the Liver and ST-36, SP-6 and CV-6 for the Spleen.
  • Adjusting in four words. Heat: LR-2 or LI-11. Dampness: SP-9. Phlegm: ST-40. Cold: moxa. If Blood deficiency is added: SP-6, LR-8 and BL-18. mnemonic: two clear, one drains, one resolves, fire warms.
  • Five questions per point. Which category, which action, which part of the principle, which axis (lessons 3 and 4), and which limit?
  • Limits. SP-6, LI-4 and points on the lower abdomen (CV-4, CV-6) in pregnancy; do not tonify Damp-Heat; the red flags of module 1, lesson 6 come first.

The rest of this lesson is reference.

Treatment plans: Liver and Spleen: How does a Liver or Spleen pattern become a defensible point set, with a reason for each point?
The chart as an image, to save or share

Three practice questions from this lesson

Which point appears in the Liver sets of patterns 1, 2, 3 and 5?
  1. GB-34
  2. LR-3
  3. LR-8

Answer: LR-3. LR-3 is the pivot: it moves Liver-Qi and subdues Liver-Yang.

Why is LR-3 not in the set for Liver-Blood deficiency?
  1. Because the store is empty: nourish, do not move
  2. Because LR-3 is on the pregnancy list
  3. Because LR-3 only works in Heat, as in Liver-Fire

Answer: Because the store is empty: nourish, do not move. In 4 the set nourishes (LR-8, SP-6, ST-36, CV-4, BL-18, BL-20). LR-3 does not only work in Heat: it also appears in 1, 3 and 5. If stagnation is added, LR-3 goes in: the reasoning of Xiao Yao San.

Why does LR-8 appear in Liver-Blood deficiency?
  1. Shu-Stream and Yuan point: it moves Liver-Qi
  2. He-Sea and Water point: the mother, which nourishes
  3. Ying-Spring and Fire point: the child point, which drains

Answer: He-Sea and Water point: the mother, which nourishes. Nan Jing 69: empty, tonify the mother. Water nourishes Wood (lesson 2). LR-2 is the child point and drains; LR-3, the Yuan point, moves and is therefore not in this set.

The rest of this lesson

In the course you get the step-by-step explanation, 16 case-based practice questions, 17 spaced-repetition flashcards, the pitfalls and the bridge to physiology with evidence grades. This lesson belongs to module 7: Treatment.

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