Lu-3 Tian Fu 天府 Heavenly Palace
Lu-3 TiānFŭ 天府 Heavenly Palace
【Name explanation】1) 天, Tiān, means heaven; 府, Fŭ, means palace or storehouse. Heavenly Qi passes through the Lungs（《Plain Questions 5, Great Treatise on the Correspondences and Manifestations of Yin and Yang》）. Lu-3 belongs to the hand Tai Yin Lung channel, is located on the upper arm, therefor it is called Heavenly Palace. 《黄帝内经明堂》 says: “The Lung is the upper lid, it is the storage for heaven, Lung Qi comes to this point. ”
2) In ancient times when localizing Lu-3 they asked the patient to reach out the arm and put the nose to the arm. The tip of the nose points to Lu-3. The nose is the orifice of the lung, where heavenly Qi (air) passes to the Lungs which arethe palace for Qi of all the body. Therefor it is called the Heavenly Palace.
【First appearance】《Magic Pivot 2, Transport [Points]》.
【Location】On the inside of the upper arm, at the radial edge of the biceps, 3 cun under the upper edge of the axillary crease.
Localization note: when the arm is stretched forward and the nose points to the arm, the tip of the nose points to Lu-3.
On a line 1/3 of the distance between the upper edge of the axillary crease and the transverse crease of the ulnar side of the elbow.
《Magic Pivot, Cold and Heat》: “At the artery under the axilla ”.
《The Systematized Canon of Acupuncture and Moxibustion(针灸甲乙经) 》: “3 cun under the axilla, at the inside of the arm, at the artery”.
《Essential Secrets from Outside the Metropolis(外台秘要)》: “When the nose points to the arm, it points to Lu-3”.
《针方六集》: “At the level of the nipples when the armis down”.
【Anatomy】skin, subcutaneous tissue, long head of the biceps; superficially there is the cephalic vein and lateral arm cutaneous nerve distribution, deep there is the brachial artery and brachial veins distribution and musculocutaneous nerve.
【Function】
Clear and spread Lung Qi
Clear the lung cool the blood
Diffuse Lung evil
Regulate Lung Qi
Calm the spirit stabilize the mind
Stop nosebleed
Brighten the eyes
【Clinical application】Disperse and descend Lung Qi; Lu-3(天府) follows Lu-2(云门), it’s the place where Lung Qi returns, Lung Qi travels from Lu-3 to the interstices of the flesh, circulates the whole body, like clouds overflow the heaven and circles the earth, widely and freely travels, therefor needle Lu-3 moves and disinhibits Lung Qi. In dispersion it disperses and descends Lung Qi, in tonification it collects scattered Qi, often used o treat panting and cough, nosebleed etc.
【Indications】panting, goiter, nosebleed, pain on the inside of the upper arm.
Respiratory system: bronchitis, wheezing and panting;
Nervous system: neuropathy, gas poisoning;
Other: nosebleed, blood ejection, pain in shoulder and arm.
Classical records: cough, wheezing and panting, nosebleed and blood in the mouth, swollen throat, goiter, dizzy head blurry vision, farsightedness, generalized swelling, heavy body, wind sweating, somnolence, absentmindedness, forgetfulness, malaria, pain in shoulder and arm.
《The Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion(针灸大成)》:treats acute Bi syndrome, nosebleed and blood in the mouth, wind stroke, grief and forgetfulness, flying corpse evil fever, ghost talk, panting, malaria with alternating fever and chills, dizzy vision, farsightedness, goiter.
《Wings of the Thousand Gold Pieces Formulary(千金翼方)》: heavy body somnolence, moxa Lu-3(天府) 50 times, needle 0.3 cun in tonification.
Modern reports: bronchitis, upper arm pain.
【Point combinations】
Combined with SJ-13(臑会), St-11(气舍) treats goiters and tumors of the neck (《A Thousand Gold Pieces Prescriptions(千金要方)》)
Combined with LI-4(合谷) treats nosebleed (《Ode on a Hundred Pathoconditions(百症赋)》).
Combined with LI-15(肩髃), P-3(曲泽), frees the channels and quicken the network vessels, treats upper arm pain.
Combined with LI-4(合谷), clears heat and cool the blood, treats nosebleed.
Combined with SJ-13(臑会), St-11(气舍), P-5(间使), Liv-3(Liv-3(太冲) ), K-3(太溪), moves Qi and quicken the blood, resolve depression dissipate binds, treats goiter.
【Point combinations】
Nosebleed: Lu-3(天府), LI-4(合谷).
Lumps, goiter, swollen throat: St-11(气舍), Lu-3(天府), SJ-13(臑会).
《Thousand Gold Pieces Formulary(千金方)》: Lu-3(天府), SJ-13(臑会), St-11(气舍), treats lumps, goiter and swollen throat.
《Ode on a Hundred Pathoconditions(百症赋)》: Lu-3(天府), LI-4(合谷), good for nosebleed.
【Technique】perpendicular insertion 0.5-1 cun. Stick moxibustion 5-10 minutes.
《The Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion(针灸大成)》: Forbidden to use moxa, needle 0.4 cun, keep for 7 breaths.
【Classic texts】
《Thousand Gold Pieces Formulary(千金方)》: Goiter malign Qi, moxa Lu-3(天府) 50 times.
《Wings of the Thousand Gold Pieces Formulary(千金翼方)》: heavy body, somnolence, unconsciousness, moxa Lu-3(天府) 50 times, needle 0.3 cun with tonification.
《铜人》: treats counterflow Qi panting with inability to catch one’s breath, dizzy vision farsightedness, sudden stroke, ghost fever, inability to rest.
【Note】Lu-3(天府) is where hand Tai Yin Lung channel Qi gathers, defends and treats the inner, treats panting and cough. In clinic one needs to grasp“defends and treats the inner”and use it flexible.