Constructed "ashi point" / 中国针灸

Ashi point is one of the three major categories of acupoint in acupuncture-moxibustion theory nowadays. It is originally recorded in Beiji Qianjin Yaofang (Important Formulas Worth a Thousand Gold Pieces for Emergency) as one of the effective folk methods. The theoretic development of ashi point goes through the innovation period of contemporary and modern acupuncture-moxibustion theory, specifically in three aspects, definition, property and status. Through the analysis of historical data, it is found that the bias of ashi point theory results from the misunderstanding of connotation, the distortion of application techniques, the misinterpretation of semantics and the gradual promotion of status. All of these are generally caused by the reform of acupuncture-moxibustion theory in Japan, which covers the essence of ashi point, limits its connotation and clouds the concept of acupoint. It is necessary to re-understand the literal sense and theoretic construction of ashi point and timely update the knowledge system of acupuncture-moxibustion in association with the results of theoretical researches.

Circumstances surrounding the Completion of Kampo Formula, Kakkon-to-ka-senkyu-shin'i / 日本東洋医学雑誌

It has hitherto been believed that Kakkon-to plus Senkyu-shin'i was invented by Japanese. In his article entitled “On the Development of the Kampo formula, Kakkon-to-ka-Senkyu-shin'i”, Terasawa wrote that there is no literature available up to 1940's which specified the addition of Shin'i and that there is no definite data concerning the source of Shin'i. I studied the addition of Senkyu and Shin'i taking the above into consideration. I discovered how Magnolia kobus had been replaced by Shin'i, that it is described in “Ben cao gang mu”, and that there were schools, such as Yoshimasu Todo's which never prescribed Shin'i. I also found that Kakkon-to combined with other herbs was used in the treatment of syphilis in the Edo era, and that there are combinations containing Senkyu, Shin'i, or Senkyu plus Shin'i, which were used according to the status of syphilid and to reduce adverse reactions of mercurial agents. In my present investigation, the closest formulation to Kakkon-to plus Senkyu-shin'i is Kakkon-to-combined-gomotsu-gedoku-to plus Shin'i.