Extremity of Qi

气端Qì Duān

Anatomical location

Ten points, one at the tip of each toe, 0.1 cun in front of the free edge of the nail.

Main function

Activates the collateral, helps restore consciousness.

Therapeutic indications

Numb toes
sequelae of apoplexy (foot drop)
swelling of the dorsum of the foot

Name and classical tradition

Qiduan, 气端, means the “extremities of Qi”: 气 (氣), Qi; 端, tip, extremity. There are ten points, at the tip of each toe, where the body ends and, in the image of the name, the Qi ends.

The name has a verifiable Tang source. The Qianjin Yaofang (Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold), in the chapter on beriberi, right after the eight points between the toes that today are EX-LE10, says: «其足十趾端名曰氣端，日灸三壯», the tips of the ten toes are called Qiduan, and three cones are burned each day. It is the foot equivalent of EX-UE11, Shixuan.

Location of point EX-LE12, Extremity of Qi — Reusable plate · CC BY-ND 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

View point on the 3D modelEX-LE12 on the anatomy

Needling techniqueShallow needling or bloodletting.

DepthSuperficial

MoxibustionNot applicable.

PrecautionsNone in particular.

Protocols for the 20 patterns you see most in practice

Each pattern with its tongue, its pulse, the treatment principle and the points to tonify and disperse. Made for the treatment table, not the bookshelf.