Location

on the sole of the foot, between the 2nd and 3rd metatarsal bones, approximately 1/3 the distance between the base of the 2nd toe and the heel, in a depression formed when the foot is plantar (downward) flexed.

Needling

perpendicular insertion 0.5 - 1.0 inch

Moxa is OK

Actions

Descends Qi from the head
Calms the spirit
Rescues yang and revives consciousness

Signs and Symptoms

headache at the vertex (crown), blurring of vision, dizziness, sore throat, dry tongue, loss of voice, dysuria, infantile convulsions, heat in the soles of the feet, loss of consciousness, epilepsy, agitation, insomnia, poor memory, propensity to fear, rage, desire to kill, madness, heart pain, running piglet Qi, constipation, lumbar pain with difficult defecation, difficult urination, disorders due to excessive sexual activity,

Commentary

The Kidneys are known as the Mother of all the Organs, not only because they store Yuan Qi, one's very essence, but also because it is the source of Yin for all the organs. The Kidneys have particular relationships with the Liver, the Heart and the Lungs.

Liver Wood is said to be nourished by Kidney Water. When Liver yin is not nourished, unrestrained Liver yang rushes upward to the head with symptoms like, vertex headache, dizziness, visual dizziness, cloudy vision, hypertension, & nosebleed.

The Heart and the Kidneys have a mutually supportive relationship. According to TCM theory while the Kidneys are the residence of essence, the Heart is the residence of Spirit. Heart Fire is said to warm Kidney Water and Heart Fire is said to be restrained by Kidney Water. When Heart Fire is unrestrained the spirit becomes agitated giving rise to symptoms such as the relatively mild, agitation, restlessness, insomnia, poor memory, propensity to fear, to the more severe, madenss, rage, desire to kill.

Massaging Yongquan is a widely practiced home remedy for insomnia in China, and/or soaking the feet in hot water for about 1/2 hour before bedtime.

According to TCM theory the body is not only nourished by food and water, but also by the Qi of the air taken in by the Lungs. The Kidneys perform a vital role in the process of breathing by grasping the Qi of the Lungs and strongly pulling it downwards. If the Kidneys are deficient there is breathlessness, and other breathing difficulties.

Because of its ability to strongly descend not only Qi, but heat and uprising Liver yang and to calm the spirit, makes it a point of choice to treat menopausal symptoms like hot flushes, night sweating, insomnia, agitation, anxiety and headache.

The Kidney channel ascends to the throat and links up with the Ren Channel at Lianquan (Ren 23), Because the Kidney channel ends in the throat, and Jing Well points are particularly effective at the other end of the channel, Yongquan is a point of choice for all throat disorders including the root of the tongue.

Being the only point on the soles of the feet, Yongquan is the lowest point on the body. Being the Jing Well point (1st point on the channel), Yongquan has a profound effect along the entire length of the channel.