Large Intestine Luo Channel

The Large Intestine Luo channel is a secondary channel in acupuncture theory but it pays to know what it does, if your’e an acupuncturist.

Jonathan Clogstoun-Willmott

November 6, 2019

The Large Intestine Luo channel pathway and its properties aren’t usually the first thing acupuncturists learn about, but still! … very useful when needed.

Note to readers! …

This page is a bit abstruse if you’re a beginner. It’s not that the words are any, or at least, much, more difficult than on other pages, but this is about a subject usually taught some way into acupuncture courses.

So some of the concepts need your familiarity with other ideas in Chinese medicine.

Actually, I did this page, and other luo-connecting channel pages, for me.

It means I can look up both the channel and its symptoms on my smartphone in case I forget them.

If it helps others, great.

For more information about this type of acupuncture channel, click on luo-connecting channels.

Large Intestine Luo channel

This Luo channel commences at Pianli, Large Intestine 6.
Joins up with the primary channel of the Lungs,
Ascends the arm to Large Intestine 15 Jianyu, and then up to the jaw and cheek
One branch goes to the teeth
Another branch goes to the ear
At the ear it joins what is called the ‘Ancestral Vessel’

Symptoms of Large Intestine Luo connecting channel

Here are the classical symptoms of imbalances in this luo channel. Of course in diagnosing these conditions, there would be other symptoms making a fuller picture, familiar to acupuncturists:

Fullness: toothache, deafness (which comes on acutely, quickly – less reliable a sign of fullness if chronic)
Emptiness: teeth sensitive to cold and may actually feel cold, and frequently get sore; sensation of congested fullness in the chest
Qi stagnation: abdominal distension, stools in many small bits, rather like sheep droppings
Blood stasis: stools contain dark blood; abdominal pain
Wind: aversion to cold, with fever and sneezing. Cough. Sore throat. Jaw aches. Headache: alternatively numbness or paralysis of the face. Note: when Wind invades the Lung, Pianli often helps to clear acute oedema.
Damp: aversion to cold; diarrhoea, fever; full, heaviness in the abdomen; glands swollen in the abdomen

Cold: Severe abdominal pains; diarrhoea
Phlegm: swollen lymph nodes in the neck (but may also be phlegm in the Luos of either Stomach or Three Heater)
Heat: blood in the stools; stools smell offensive; abdominal pain; thirst

Comment

The Large Intestine Luo channel’s indications listed above are succinct. When treating someone, many more signs would be looked for to confirm the diagnosis.

For example, if Cold is suspected, one might expect the kind of abdominal pain to be like those listed for Cold. Probably the individual would either avoid, or feel better if he avoided, Cold Foods.

One would expect other corroborating symptoms as well:

the stools here would probably be odourless;
there would be a desire for warmth and warm drinks and food (for more on this see Hot Foods);
one would expect the symptoms to be aggravated when cold.