Yang Heel Vessel

General

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yang Heel Vessel is one of the Eight Extra Meridians. Heel vessels appear in pairs and consist of yin heel and yang heel vessel, both of which originate from below the ankle and run separately along the right and left sides of body.

Yang heel vessel is called Yang Qiao in Chinese. Qiao in Chinese means "agile and nimble movement";. Yang heel vessel has the function of regulating the muscular movements and communicating yin-yang in the body, which makes the movements of the lower limbs more vigorous and nimble.

Since yin heel vessel and yang heel vessel meet with each other at the inner canthus, they are believed to provide the nourishment for the eyes and control the opening and closing of the eyelids.

Ancient people held that yin heel and yang heel vessel govern yin-yang of the right and left sides of the whole body respectively, that is to say, yin heel vessel controls the yin of the right and left sides of the whole body while yang heel vessel controls the yang of the right and left side of the whole body.

The coalescent points

Indication

Eye pain starting from the inner canthus, insomnia.

The Course of the Vessel

It starts from the lateral side of the heel, runs upward along the external malleolus and passes the posterior border of the fibula, goes upward along the lateral side of the thigh and posterior side of the hypochondrium to the posterior axillary fold. Then, it runs over to the shoulder and ascends along the neck to the corner of the mouth. Then it enters the inner canthus to communicate with the Yin Heel Vessel. Running further upward along theTaiyang Bladder Meridian of Foot to the forehead, meets the Shaoyang Gall Bladder Meridian of Foot at Fengchi (GB20).

You can see the corese of Yang Heel Vessel in the picture below.

Yang Heel Vessel