Kidney Meridian

Name

足少阴肾经穴

The Kidney Channel is the Shao Yin of the foot.

Pathway

External pathway

The primary Kidney Channel begins below the fifth toe and crosses obliquely through the sole. It emerges at point KI-1, on the sole of the foot. It proceeds toward the inner edge of the foot and travels below the navicular tubercle, passes below the medial malleolus, and borders it. It ascends along the posteromedial aspect of the leg, along the anterior border of the Achilles tendon. It joins with SP-6 (meeting point of the three Yin of the foot). It continues ascending to the inner end of the popliteal fossa (KI-10), between the tendons of the semimembranosus and semitendinosus muscles. It borders the posteromedial surface of the thigh. It reaches the perineum where it bifurcates. One branch continues the external pathway and another turns inward.

From the perineum the external pathway continues toward the pubis and ascends the abdomen and chest between the Conception Vessel and Stomach channels, at a distance of 0.5 CUN from CV on the abdomen and 2 CUN on the chest. It reaches the infraclavicular fossa where the channel ends at point KI-27.

Internal pathway

From the perineum it penetrates the coccyx (GV-1) and ascends along the spine to L2 to reach the Kidneys and the Bladder. It then reaches CV-3 and CV-4.

Another collateral branch goes from L2 to the Liver, crosses the diaphragm, penetrates the Lungs, follows the larynx and pharynx to reach the root of the tongue.
A branch emerges from the Lungs, reaches the Heart, the center of the chest and there connects with the Jue Yin of the hand. It disperses in the chest and reaches CV-17.