410
Extraordinary and Secondary Channels
D
4 Eight Extraordinary
Vessels
奇經八脉
Qi Jing Ba Mai
4.1 Description
The Eight Extraordinary Vessels have also been called
“Marvellous” or “Odd” and “Curious” by the French
school. Although their mention and description ap-
pears in the oldest of the Chinese medical texts, the
Neijing Suwen and the Lingshu, they were consid-
ered “Constitutional” vessels and therefore beyond
the reach of acupuncture as they were representing
“Pre-heaven” energies, hence no pathways were de-
scribed.
“The Eight Extraordinary Vessels are beyond the
reach of the 12 primary channels”
Nan Jing
(chapter 27)
Their clinical use was not popularised until the Ming-
Dynasty (14
th
century), more than 1500 years later.
In fact, during the Hun dynasty, it was believed that
the Extraordinary vessels, as constitutional channels,
were carrying out the deposited
Ming
(life mandate),
and that working with the Extraordinary would be
attempting to alter ones destiny. Within Chinese phi-
losophy destiny is intended to be lived and not to be
altered. The belief was that one grows through ones
incarnation not in spite of it.
This was also reflected in the classification of the causes
of disease in to climatic factors, the emotional causes,
and the environmental and dietary factors. No men-
tion being made about constitutional factors until the
Ming Dynasty through the influence of Zhang Jing
Yue and the Mingmen (Life Gate Fire School).
These vessels were considered extraordinary due to
the fact that
·
·
they did not belong to the regular channel system
and were not subject to them
·
·
they did not have
Biao-Li
≈
Interior-Exterior relation-
ship and were therefore different or odd.
Zhen Jiu Da Quan (The great Compilation of Acu-
puncture) by Xu Feng in the 15
th
century, develops
the opening points for the eight extra channels. Li
Shi-Zhen, in the 16
th
century describes herbs as well
as pulses in relation to the Eight Extra Channels. Zhen
Jiu Da Cheng (The Great Accomplishments of Acu-
puncture) by Yang Ji Zhou in the 17
th
century further
develops the coupled pairs.
Three main characteristics define the Eight Extraor-
dinary Vessels
·
·
As constitutional vessels they represent the link
between the Pre-heaven (inherited) energies and
the Post-heaven energies, which is in reality are the
unravelling and transforming of the inherited fac-
tors, allowing for mutation and evolution to take
place. Froma Daoistic perspective the world changes
because the individuals change and not the other
way around. These vessels not only carry out the
construction of the body after conception, but they
also synchronise the various life cycles and aging in
accordance with the inherited
Jing
≈
Essence: child-
hood, puberty, pregnancy, maturity andmenopause
or andropause. In this manner they define the Post-
natal existence.
·
·
They maintain the inner equilibrium of Qi, Blood
and the distribution of
Jing
≈
Essence from the Kid-
neys the root and depository of the inherited Qi, re-
maining in constant relation to the outer variations.
They connect and influence all the other channels as
well as the “Extraordinary” or “Curious”
Fu
≈
Bowels
Qi Heng Zhi Fu qi
.
·
·
According to the Nanjing, the Eight Extra Vessels
serve as reservoirs or ditches in case of repletion,
acting as a protection against external pathogenic
factors by absorbing overflow Qi from the primary
channels. They can also absorb and transfer excess
Qi fromone channel to another, supplementing Yin
and Yang and maintaining inner balance.
The Eight Extraordinary Vessels are not independent
channels but have a sequence, which is the unfold-
ing of
Jing
, via the cycles of seven and eight, they are
presented in three groups, based on the sequence of
their activation
·
·
The first ancestry:
Chong
≈
Penetrating vessel,
Ren
≈
Conception and
Du
≈
Governing vessels. I per-
sonally believe that the
Dai
≈
Belt vessel also belongs
to this first ancestry.These four vessels become active
from the very moment that conception has taken
place and
Jing
is set into motion giving birth to Yin
and Yang. The original pre-natal Yin and Yang will
manifest in post-natal life as Blood and Qi.
·
·
Second ancestry: is represented by the Yin and
Yang
Wei Mai
≈
Binding vessels, which participate in the
unfolding of Yin and Yang.
·
·
Third ancestry: is represented by the Yin and
Yang
Qiao Mai
≈
Motility/Stepping vessels, they regulate
the movements of Yin and Yang.
The Ren and the Du divide the body into left and right.
While the Chong divides the body intoYin andYang and
