Stomach meridian pathway
The Stomach meridian, foot Yangming, begins at the point Yingxiang, rises below the eye to the point Chengqi and then descends along the face. It passes lateral to the corner of the mouth.
At the mandible, it follows it backward to its posterior angle. It then rises along the skull to the top, at the point Touwei.
At the middle of the mandible, a branch descends along the neck.
It reaches Dazhui, then turns forward again and enters internally through the point Quepen to make its visceral connections, that is, to connect with the Stomach and couple with the Spleen.
From Quepen, a branch descends externally along the chest at the level of the nipple line (4 cun from the body's midline); at the abdomen it runs 2 cun from the midline, then descends along the belly.
The meridian then descends to the middle of the groin crease, at the point Qichong.
From there, it runs along the front part of the outer side of the thigh, knee and leg. It then passes through the middle of the instep and crosses the top of the foot to end at the outer nail corner of the 2nd toe.
At the level of Zusanli, located on the leg, a branch leaves the meridian pathway and goes to the outer nail corner of the 3rd toe.
On the main pathway, on the top of the foot, a connecting branch goes to the big toe to join the Spleen.
Stomach meridian acupuncture points
The Stomach meridian has 45 acupuncture points; here are the main ones
Stomach meridian description
The Stomach corresponds to the central organ of digestion, the sea of food, the great granary. Located in the Middle Burner with the Spleen, it also belongs to Earth, but dry Earth, and is rather Yang as a viscus.
Its main functions are receiving food and breaking it down.
Its characteristics: it is the official in charge of supplies and granaries. Its Qi descends in cooperation with the Spleen, which makes things rise. This descending movement includes sending the turbid down to the Small Intestine and also to the Large Intestine.
If Stomach Qi does not descend, there is stagnation, whereas the viscera must always remain clear. Abdominal distension, pain, bloating or constipation may appear.
If there is stagnation and the Qi also rises the wrong way, there may be nausea, vomiting, belching or hiccups. It likes Dampness but dislikes Dryness; its functions depend on the Qi Hua (Yang part) of the Stomach and also on the moistening provided by its Yin part.
If the appetite is good, food is being received properly.
Breaking down food
1st transformation takes place in the Stomach into a kind of pulp, from which the Spleen extracts the nutrients; the rest is sent to the Small Intestine, where the 2nd digestion/transformation takes place. This breaking-down function is essential because it produces the nutrients from which Qi and Blood are made. The root of man is Stomach Qi. Stomach Qi is the root of the 5 organs.