Spleen 10 – Xuehai: Sea of Blood

Location of Spleen 10

• 2 cun above the superior border of the patella, in the middle of the bulge of the muscle vastus medialis
• The point is often tender when needed
• It lies vertically proximal to Spleen 9
• You may find it easier to locate the point if the patient bends the knee by 90 degrees

Needling Spleen 10

Where the point is sorest is where to needle. However, see my comments, below.

As a general rule, needle vertically, between 1 cun and 2 cun.

For local pain

If using the point for local pain, say in the knee, direct the needle towards the pain. If you’re good with needles and the patient has plenty of Qi, you may be able to direct the Qi towards the area in question.

Needle Sensation

Local, down to the knee and up the channel a short way, depending on what you are trying to achieve.

Moxa

Moxibustion here increases the point’s ability to ‘tonify’ Blood, that is to say, to nourish Blood’s stabilising, yin qualities. However, personally, I probably wouldn’t apply moxa here to clear Heat.

3 – 5 cones., though if using thread moxa may be as much as 15.

Actions of Xuehai, Spleen 10

Spleen 10 has two main actions, the second of which is really a consequence of the first:

• Nourishes Blood
• Clears Blood Heat

From these flow pretty well all its properties:

Nourishing Blood

• Nourishing is a yin verb, and Blood is a yin substance. Yin factors are cooling, moistening and nurturing. Read more at yin and yang.
• In a way, this thickens and steadies the Blood.
• By strengthening a yin factor, it  harmonises or regulates excess yang factors
• So can be useful in Heart Blood deficiency, Heart and Spleen Blood deficiency, and Liver Blood deficiency

Consequently, Spleen 10 is useful for many conditions where Blood is deficient or does not flow steadily:

• Irregular menses (too early, too profuse, too late, too little)
• Amenorrhoea = menses absent
• Abnormal uterine bleeding
• Infertility due to Blood deficiency
• If there is Cold because of deficient Blood, clears this by tonifying Blood
• One of several points for inguinal hernia (other points might be Stomach 36, Liver 9 and Liver 10, all of which regulate the lower jiao in one way or another)
• May help control blood pressure in hypertension if from Blood deficiency
• A possible point for Western-defined anaemia

Clears Blood Heat

• Skin diseases and itching from Heat, eg urticaria, pruritis, neuro-dermatitis, eczema (Itching often denotes Wind, here from Heat)
• Herpes, shingles
• Shen Mind hyper states when due to Blood deficiency
• Abnormal menstrual bleeding from Heat (ie profuse, heavy, possibly weakening, possibly with disturbed Shen-Mind)
• Vaginal discharges from Damp-Heat (for Damp-Heat might also use Spleen 6, Spleen 9 and Gallbladder 26)
• Consider also, with other points, if you have stool with blood
• Also for coughing up blood if due to Blood Heat, likewise phlegm with blood
• Helps to clear Wind, especially arising from Blood deficiency

Comment on Spleen 10

Like other points nearby eg Liver 9, Xuehai relates to both Spleen and Liver, not least via Chong Mai. Spleen 10 is not listed as lying on the Chong Mai channel but I would definitely still use it if using Chong Mai to nourish Blood.

So acupuncturists often use it for menstrual irregularity and Blood Heat, and tend to use it only with dispersing action.

Many digestive problems occur because Wood overacts on Earth. This obviously happens if Wood is excess, but can also occur because Earth is deficient.

If Earth is deficient, Blood will tend towards emptiness. Using Xuehai may help to rebalance this, putting Wood back in its ‘corner’.

So Spleen 10 may be useful for IBS and other forms of abdominal rebellious or stagnant qi, even perhaps for eg Crohns disease, when from Blood deficiency.

Although named ‘Sea of Blood’, confusingly Xuehai is not actually one of the so-called ‘Sea of Blood’ points (Bladder 11, Stomach 37 and Stomach 39) but adding it would, I expect, enhance the action of that Sea of Blood points combination.