GB-13 Benshen - Root Spirit
More Spirit Names: Mind Root, Rib Bone Hole
| English: | Root of the Spirit |
| Also Known As: | Original Spirit Mind Root |
Location
- 3 cun lateral to DU-24 Shenting, at the side of the forehead.
- On the forehead, 0.5 cun within the anterior hairline, two-thirds of the distance between DU-24 Shenting and ST-8 Touwei.
Note: some sources locate this point on the line directly above the outer canthus of the eye.
Needling
- Slanted insertion, 0.5 to 1 cun.
- Transverse insertion 0.5 to 1.5 cun.
Note: This point in common with all points within the hairline may be needled in any direction. Direction depends on symptomology. They also may join to other head points. - Puncture subcutaneously 0.3 to 0.5 cun.
- Moxibustion is applicable.
Command Functions
- Meeting point with the Yang Wei channel
- Meeting point of the three Arm Yang muscle channels
Actions
- Eliminates Internal Wind
- Resolves Phlegm
- Treats epilepsy
- Calms the mind
- Gathers Jing to the head
- Clears the brain
- Subdues Liver Yang
Indications
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Combinations
| DU-12 | ||
Madness | Childhood fright epilepsy | Vomiting of foam |
DU-22 | SJ-19 | |
Epilepsy with vomiting of foam | Pain of the lateral costal region with inability to turn the body | Unreasonable feelings of jealousy and suspicion |
DU-24 | REN-4 | |
Anxiety due to constant worry and fixed thoughts | Attracts Jing to the head to calm the Mind and strengthens the Will |
Contraindications
Notes
- This is a very important point for mental and emotional problems.
- It relieves anxiety from constant worry and fixed thoughts.
- Meeting areas of the muscle channels: the three Arm Yang meet at the forehead (GB-13), the three Arm Yin in the thoracic cavity (GB-22), the three Leg Yang at the eyes (SI-18, ST-3) and the three Leg Yin at the genitals (REN-3).
Five Elements Spirit Perspective
| Spirit of the Point | This point, and all the Gallbladder head points, work on the spirit level. It is the very ground and foundation of the Shen, with an outgoing, direct quality. When the spirit, a person's root, is weak it is hard to keep a steady, conscious path through life. The Gallbladder's direction must be rooted in essence; without that, courage turns into fear and anger directed inward, and the spirit is eaten away by suspicion and jealousy. It keeps a person steady through change, reaching inside to stabilize them. It roots them so decisions can be made, drawing the spirit down to a place from which the next step can be seen. It suits a Wood CF who must be rooted before they can reach skyward, standing tall and straight and taking in Heaven's clear light. The Wood Officials are like a tree: this point on the head corresponds to the highest view from the topmost branches, and it joins that higher perspective with the basic vision held in the roots. |
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| Worsley | Location: On the head, ½ ACI inside the natural hairline, on a vertical line rising above the outer corner (lateral canthus) of the eye. |
| When to Consider |
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| Combinations | |
| Notes |
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From Class
- GB-13 Benshen: 'Root spirit' — roots the wandering hun; build blood so the hun lives in a juicy, blood-full liver. (Shea)
- GB-13 to GB-20 & SJ-5 (Yang Wei treatment): Yang Wei treatment points; Ying–Wei imbalance means interior (emotional) contents leaking outward. (Rabinowitz)
- Month 5 limb/chest pain & restless fetus: KI-5, BL-63, BL-20, BL-49, SI-11, KI-9 + GB-13: Month 5: limbs KI-5, BL-63, BL-20, BL-49; chest/breast SI-11; restless fetus KI-9 with GB-13; avoid strong moxa/needling — massage or light needling. (Lewis)
- Wind strategies with Gallbladder/San Jiao points: Scatter wind: GB-14, GB-12, SJ-17, SJ-2; course wind: GB-20, GB-8, SJ-18, SJ-5, SJ-6; pacify wind: GB-13 with SJ-10; SJ-2, SJ-5 'bathe the nerves'. (Gioioso)
- Li Shizhen's Yang Wei trajectory as five-element genetic modulation: Li Shizhen built Yang Wei from BL-63, GB-35, GB-39, SJ-13, SJ-15, SI-10, LI-14 and GB-21, looping to GB-13 Benshen to change the marrow/brain. (Yuen)