Heart Meridian

Path of the Heart meridian

The Heart meridian, Shaoyin of hand, begins in the Heart to which it binds, it will begin by sending a branch down to couple with the Small Intestine.
It sends a branch upwards which will connect to the ocular system (the Shen is seen in the eyes).
There is a branch which will start from the Heart and which will come out in the center of the hollow of the armpit, at the point Jiquan.

The meridian will cross the inner side of the arm, posterior part.
Then it arrives at the elbow, passing through the middle of the inner face of the elbow at the point Shaohai.
It will cross the internal face of the forearm, posterior part then it arrives at the level of the wrist where it will pass outside the pisiform bone at the point Shenmen.
Then, it passes through the hypothenar eminence, between the 4^th and the 5^th metatarsus in point Shaofu,
to end at the external nail angle of the little finger at the point Shaochong.

From the point Shaochong, it will join the Small Intestine meridian at the level of the internal nail angle of the little finger, at the point Shaoze.

Acupuncture points of the Heart meridian

Description of the Heart meridian

The heart corresponds to fire. It is the organ Emperor, it is the root of life.
It’s the big yang within the yang.
Its season is summer, its emotion joy, its direction is south, its color is red and its flavor is bitter.

The heart has 2 physiological functions which are:

1. Govern the blood and vessels;
2. Governing the Shen.

Its physiological characteristics are:

• Decision-maker, he influences vital functions. It has the power of life and death;
• It cannot be attacked, it is protected;
• It is yang, occupies a position in the upper body. Yang Qi, it is very often compared to the sun;
• The fire burns upwards, hot in nature, it can warm and nourish the 10,000 things (organs and viscera), maintain the temperature;
• The fire moves all the time. It enlightens, illuminates (the body);
• The energy of the heart is more prosperous in summer, an analogy between an organ and a season. It is at this season that it can easily be injured in people with fragility.

The heart governs the blood (and the vessels) - Xin zhu xue (May)
The body and the vessels form a closed circuit in which blood circulates.
For this to work correctly, as for the transport of goods, there are 3 conditions to respect:

1. The yang Qi must be sufficient to be able to push and warm the blood inside the vessels;
2. The blood must be in sufficient quantity to be able to moisten and nourish the heart;
3. The vessels must be cleared and closed.