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From Erin:

TCM Mnemonics

POINTS


- The Yin channels that go up the ribs form a pattern where they total to a specific “golden number” for that meridian, when adding the point number to its corresponding rib space number.

FORMULA: (# on meridian) + (intercostal space #) = “golden number”


Spleen’s # = 22. Kidney’s # = 27. Ren’s # = 21.

Sp17 + 5th rib space = 22 Ki22 + 5th rib space = 27 Ren16 + 5th rib sp (xipho)=21
Sp18 + 4th rib space = 22 Ki23 + 4th rib space = 27 Ren17 + 4th rib space = 21
Sp19 + 3rd rib space = 22 Ki24 + 3rd rib space = 27 Ren18 + 3rd rib space = 21
Sp20 + 2nd rib space = 22 Ki25 + 2nd rib space = 27 Ren19 + 2nd rib space = 21
(Lung 1 in 1st rib space) Ki26 + 1st rib space = 27 Ren20 + 1st rib space= 21
6 cun from midline 2 cun from midline on midline


- The Shu points for Gall Bladder follow this pattern of decreasing numerically:
GB44, Jing Well (- 1) =
GB43, Ying Spring (- 2) =
GB 41 Shu Stream (- 3) =
GB 38 Jing River (- 4) =
GB 34 He Sea

(I.e., 44-1 =43, 43-2=41, 41-3=38, 38-4=34)

- Of the GB’s five Shu points, remember to skip GB 42, which doesn’t do much. If you’d been smoking “420”, you wouldn’t do too much either.

- For both Wood channels:
- the Luo-connecting is 5 cun above the malleolus (Liv-5, & GB-37)
- the Xi-cleft is 7 cun above the malleolus (Liv-6 & GB-36)


- Notes on Xi-Cleft Points:
If you spell "xi's" backwards, you have "six", and the number 6 figures prominently with the Xi-clefts.
1/3 of all Xi-clefts are a 6: Lu-6, Ht-6, SI-6, & Liver-6. If you had to guess on a Xi-cleft question, that’s a good reason to put 6.
Lung & Liver are the first & last meridians, and SI is the *sixth* in meridian order. (And SI almost spells “six”.) Its Fire pair, Heart also has a Xi at 6.
GB's Xi-cleft ends in a 6, being GB-36. If you flip that number, you'd have UB-63--the Xi of the UB.

- St34: The Xi Cleft for St is above the knee, unlike the Xi Clefts on other meridians. Those extra Lower He Seas on Stomach channel push it up off of the lower leg.

- When given a choice on the three Lower He Seas of the Hand Yang Channels (St37, St39, UB39), know that St37 belongs to LI, as “7” looks like a rotated “L” for LI.

- UB13: Fei/Lung Shu. Flip “13” to spell “F31 SHU”.
- UB18: 18 is the drinking age in Ireland; careful for your Liver (Back Shu).
- UB47: “Black ‘47” is the name of an Irish band; again, careful for your Liver (Outer).
- UB15: The back Shu Point of the Heart; think 5 = 4 heart chambers + 1 aorta.
- Ren14: The front Mu Point of the Heart is Ren 14, think Valentine’s Day (2/14) hearts.
- UB40: Think of catching summer heat while seeing UB40 in concert.
- UB57: Think of an inverted ketchup bottle as the same shape as where the calf
on the lower leg narrows. Heinz prints the number 57 at the base of the necks of their bottles (their slogan for years was “57 Varieties”.)


- “Fear is the emotion of Kidney” – Jim Carrey in the movie "23", in (UB)23.


- Two-way Zhui: “Vertebra” is Zhui, and the spine has a Zhui anchoring either end: Du 14, Da Zhui, “big vertebra”, below C7, & extra point ShiQiZhui, “17th vertebra”, below L5.

Proportional Measurements:
- Measure from the *upper* border of the pubic symphasis, not the lower—it’s less embarrassing for all involved.
- The PSIS is located at L5. Remember this by changing the S’s to 5’s to make “P5I5”.


HERBS

- Huang Bai, Huang Lian, Huang Qin: they clear heat from each Jiao in reverse alphabetical order. (Bai treats Lower, Lian treats middle, Qin treats Upper.)
Huang Qin treats restless fetus: think of tickling an infant on the “chin” to quiet it.

- Qing Dai is indigo powder, often used to “dye” blue jeans. (Or add a belt, “dai”, as in “belt channel”/dai mai.)

- Xi Yang Shen, American ginseng, enters the channels of red, white & blue: Heart, Lung & Kidney

-E Jiao, Ass hide glue, is made from donkey skin. Skin is related to Lung, and E Jiao enters Lung. (Of the Blood Tonics from the school list, Gou Qi Zi is the only other Blood Tonic to enter Lung besides E Jiao.)

FUNDAMENTALS

- Pericardium: is it Yang or Yin? It’s Yin, with its Yang Fire pair being San Jiao/Triple Burner. (Anything called a burner/heater/warmer has a good chance of being Yang.) Pericardium is a Zang organ, even though it’s not solid. The Fu organs are happier when they’re emptied: LI, SI, Stomach, etc. You don’t want to empty your Pericardium!