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KI3

Kidney Channel

Great Ravine

太溪Tàixī

Anatomical location

On the medial side of the ankle, in the depression between the medial malleolus and the Achilles tendon, at the level of the tip of the malleolus.

Main function

Tonifies Kidney Yin and Yang, nourishes the Jing, strengthens the lumbar region, regulates urination, benefits the Lower Jiao, and calms the Shen.

  • Yuan (Source) point
  • Shu-Stream point (Earth)
  • Ryodoraku point F3 (Kidney)

Therapeutic indications

  • Low back pain
  • leg weakness
  • enuresis
  • urinary incontinence
  • dysuria
  • impotence
  • infertility
  • dysmenorrhea
  • tinnitus
  • deafness
  • insomnia
  • anxiety
  • afternoon fever
  • Chronic low back pain
  • Tinnitus
  • Dizziness
  • Hot flashes
  • Night sweats
  • Dry throat
  • Chronic asthma
  • Chronic cough
  • Nocturnal emission
  • Menstrual irregularity
  • Urinary frequency
  • Constipation
  • Heel pain
  • Weak knees
  • Cognitive decline and dementia
  • Parkinson's disease (tremor due to Internal Wind)
  • Multiple sclerosis (Wei syndrome)
  • Ménière's disease
  • Diabetes mellitus (Xiao Ke)
  • Hypothyroidism
  • Hyperthyroidism
  • COPD and chronic bronchitis
  • Prostatitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia
  • Knee osteoarthritis
  • Osteoporosis
  • Plantar fasciitis
  • Alopecia areata

Ryodoraku

F3RiñónMeasurement point no. 8

Yuan-Source point of the Kidney, between the medial malleolus and the Achilles tendon.

Name and classical tradition

Taixi, 太溪, is the “great stream.” 太 means great or supreme; 溪 is a stream, the narrow channel running between ridges. The point sits in the depression between the medial malleolus and the Achilles tendon, and the modern gloss reads it as the place where the channel's Qi has already become a sizable stream. The Lingshu (Spiritual Pivot), in the chapter Ben Shu (本輸), locates it this way: “注於太谿，太谿內踝之後，跟骨之上陷中者也，為俞”. The Qi pours into Taixi, behind the medial malleolus, above the calcaneus, in the depression; it is the Shu-Stream point.

On the Yin channels, the Shu-Stream point (輸穴) is also the Yuan-Source point (原穴) and corresponds to Earth. 太 is shared with the other Yuan-Source points of the Yin organs, such as LU9, Taiyuan; SP3, Taibai; or LR3, Taichong.

Its alternative names are interesting. 大溪 is a graphic variant. 呂細 would point to the twelve pitches (十二律呂) of ancient music. And 內昆侖, “inner Kunlun,” pairs it with BL60, Kunlun, which lies on the opposite side of the same ankle, behind the lateral malleolus. These aliases are known in the modern literature, but they have not been verified in the Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing (Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion) or the Zhenjiu Dacheng (Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).

Location of point KI3, Great Ravine
CC BY-ND 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
View point on the 3D modelKI3 on the anatomy
Needling techniquePerpendicular insertion 0.5-1 cun. Moxibustion applicable (indirect moxa, 3-5 minutes). Key point for tonifying the Kidney. Combine with local points for low back pain.
Depth0.5-1 cun
MoxibustionApplicable (3-5 minutes, indirect moxa)

Patterns that use it · 33

Classical combinations · 2

  • Nourish Liver and Kidney YinHe-Sea point of the Liver with the Yuan-Source point of the Kidney: replenishes the Yin of the lower root.
  • Menopausal hot flashesReplenishes the Yin of the Kidney and Liver and settles the rising deficiency Fire.

Basic formulas from the vademecum · 2

View the vademecum

Named functional sets from the school: here the point does not act on its own, but through the role it plays within the maneuver.

  • CoolingPregnancyIt does not disperse Heat: it replenishes the Yin that should contain it. KI3 as the Yuan-Source point of the Kidney, SP6 for the three Yin channels, and CV4 as the root of the Yuan Qi in the lower abdomen.
  • Tonify Kidney YinPregnancyReplenishes the Yin and the Essence: KI3 as the Yuan-Source point, KI7 as the tonification point (Metal, the mother), KI10 as the channel's own Water point, GB25 as the Front-Mu point of the Kidney, and CV4 as the root of the Yuan Qi.
Cover of the guide “Protocols for the 20 most common patterns”

Free guide · PDF

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.

Do you use KI3 with your patients?

In the Clinic you record it in the patient's file, next to the tongue, the pulse and the measurements, so at the next session you know exactly what you used. The Atlas is built in.

See the Clinic