The Twelve Meridians

In TCM, patterns of disharmony (ie, bad health and emotional disorders) in the body are thought to be caused by disruptions of the body's energy flow along a series of acu-tracts. To correct those disruptions, specific points (腧穴) on the meridians called acupoints (穴位) are stimulated via needles, burning incense cones (moxa), applying pressure or other means.Meridians are divided into Yin and Yang groups. The Yin meridians of the arm are: Lung, Heart, and Pericardium. The Yang meridians of the arm are: Large Intestine, Small Intestine, and Triple Warmer. The Yin Meridians of the leg are Spleen, Kidney, and Liver. The Yang meridians of the leg are Stomach, Bladder, and Gall Bladder.The twelve meridians are named according to their corresponding organs, limb positions and yin and yang properties. They include three arm yin meridians (lung, pericardium, heart), three arm yang meridians (large intestine, triple burner, small intestine), three leg yang meridians (stomach, gall bladder, bladder), and three leg yin meridians (spleen, liver, kidney). The triple burner and the pericardium do not refer to anatomical structures. They are functional units in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It should also be noted, the organs mentioned here have a much broader meaning in TCM then what is typically thought of their functions in western medicine. Since the twelve meridians make up the majority of the Meridian System, they are known as the regular or principal channels.