ZANZHU BL-2

ZANZHU BL-2

Gathered Bamboo

LOCATION
Superior to the inner canthus, in a depression on the eyebrow, close to its medial end.

LOCATION NOTE
Palpate laterally along the eyebrow from its medial end and feel for the hollow directly above Jingming BL-1. This point is often found to be tender on palpation.
NEEDLING
i. Transverse-oblique insertion inferiorly towards Jingming BL-1 for eye diseases; ii. Transverse lateral insertion to join with Yuyao (M-HN-6) for supraorbital pain; iii. Prick to bleed for heat disorders. Note: according to several classical texts, this point is contraindicated to moxibustion.
ACTIONS
Eliminates wind and clears heat Benefits the eyes Clears the head and alleviates pain.

INDICATIONS
• Pain of the eyebrow region, frontal headache, head wind, wind dizziness, nosebleed, rhinitis, sneezing, pain of the face, red face with cheek pain.
• Blurred vision, dimness of vision, visual dizziness, lacrimation on exposure to wind, night blindness, redness, swelling and pain of the eye, itching of the eyes, infantile epilepsy with upward staring eyes, twitching of the eyelids, bursting sensation of the eye.
• Haemorrhoid pain, manic behaviour, loss of consciousness, pain and stiffness of the neck.
COMMENTARY
Zanzhu BL-2 is an important and frequently used local point for the treatment of disorders of the eye and the surrounding region. It may be substituted for Jingming BL-1 in a variety of eye disorders (primarily those due to attack by exterior pathogenic factors), especially by practitioners with insufficient clinical experience in needling points close to the eyeball. For this purpose it may be needled to join with Jingming BL-1, or in the case of heat patterns pricked to bleed. Its effect on redness and itching of the eyes, combined with its ability to treat rhinitis and sneezing, renders it particularly suitable in the treatment of hay fever. The sphere of action of Zanzhu BL-2 is not confined to the treatment of eye disorders however, and it is frequently used as a local point for frontal headache, pain of the
eyebrow region, sinus pain and facial paralysis, and more widely (see combinations below) for one-sided or generalised head wind, and headache following alcohol intoxication. The Bladder divergent channel winds around the anus, and Zanzhu BL-2 is indicated for pain of haemorrhoids, an illustration of the principle of using points above to treat disorders below.
COMBINATIONS
• Wind headache: Zanzhu BL-2, Chengguang BL-6, Shenshu BL-23, Qimai SJ-18, Sizhukong SJ-23 and Erheliao SJ-22 (Thousand Ducat Formulas).
• Headache with eye pain: Zanzhu BL-2 and Touwei ST-8 (Ode of the Jade Dragon).
• One-sided or generalised head wind: Zanzhu BL-2, Baihui DU-20, Qianding DU-21, Shenting DU-24, Shangxing DU-23, Sizhukong SJ-23, Fengchi GB-20, Hegu L.I.-4 and Touwei ST-8 (Great Compendium).
• Head wind following intoxication: Zanzhu BL-2, Yintang (M-HN-3) and Zusanli ST-36 (Great Compendium).
• Pain between the eyebrows: Zanzhu BL-2 and Touwei ST-8 (Song of the Jade Dragon).
• Twitching of the eyelids: Zanzhu BL-2 and Touwei ST-8 (Great Compendium).
• Rhinitis with clear nasal discharge: Zanzhu BL-2, Fengmen BL-12, Shenting DU-24, Hegu L.I.-4, Yingxiang L.I.-20, Zhiyin BL-67 and Futongg