J. Acupunct. Tuina. Sci.

(2009) 7: 57-60
DOI: 10.1007/s11726-009-0057-0

Literature Study

Exploration of the Clinical Regularity of

Acupuncture-moxibustion Treatment for Depression
HUANG Qin-feng (黄琴峰)
Shanghai research institute of acupuncture and meridian, Shanghai 200030, P. R. China

【摘要】回顾 1956～2007 年针灸文献，探索针灸治疗抑郁症用穴和治疗方法的规律。根

据《中国现代针灸信息数据库》数据，采用计量分析方法进行综合分析。结果提示百会、
内关应用频次为最，治疗方法以针刺为主。建议百会配内关作为针灸治疗抑郁症基础方,
并随症选穴。
【关键词】针灸疗法；抑郁症；文献
【Abstract】To review year 1956-2007 literature on acupuncture-moxibustion, explore point
selection and methods for acupuncture-moxibustion treatment of depression. A comprehensive
analysis was made by a method of metrological analysis according to the data from "China
modern acupuncture-moxibustion information databank". The results show that Baihui (GV 20)
and Neiguan (PC 6) were the points most frequently used. As an acupuncture-moxibustion
treatment for depression, acupuncture ranked first. It is proposed to use Baihui (GV 20) and
Neiguan (PC 6) as a basic prescription for acupuncture-moxibustion treatment of depression,
other points can be selected according to the syndrome.
【Key Words】Acupuncture-moxibustion Therapy; Depression; Literature
【CLC Number】R246.1
【Document Code】A

Depression is a common mood disorder selection and treatment method in order to know the
characterized by continual low spirit and anhedonia, situation, grasp the developments, widen the thinking
often accompanied by dyssomnia, hyporexia and and further promote the clinical application.
hyposexuality. It is often caused by depressed
emotion and qi stagnation. The disease comes under 2 Results
the categories of melancholia, hysteria, lily disease
and mania in traditional Chinese medicine. Its 2.1 Literature analysis
incidence tends to rise year by year with increasing Acupuncture-moxibustion treatment for depression
social competition and stress in life and work. first appeared in 1987[1]. Of the 267 papers, 163 were
clinical reports, accounting for 61.1%; 22 were case
1 Literature Sources and Purpose analyses, accounting for 8.2%; 22 were literature
The status of acupuncture-moxibustion treatment studies, accounting for 8.2%; 31 were clinical studies,
for depression was systematically analyzed according accounting for 11.6%; 25 were experimental studies,
to 276 papers on depression and total 6 523 patients accounting for 9.4%; 4 were repeated papers,
from 65 214 pieces of information collected from accounting for 1.5%. Clinical studies of acupuncture-
"China modern acupuncture-moxibustion information moxibustion treatment for depression predominated,
databank" to summarize the regularity of the point accounting for 69.3% and studies of the mechanism
ranked second, accounting for 21.0%. Acupuncture-
Fund Items：Shanghai Leading Academic Discipline Project moxibustion treatment for postapoplectic depression[2],
(S30304), Shanghai Municipal Education Commission climacteric depression[3] and depression due to other
(08YS64), Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai
diseases[4] increased in recent years. Of the 163 papers
Municipality (03DZ19554-8)
Author：HUANG Qin-feng (1951- ), female, associate research on clinical reports, 137 involved a controlled trial,
fellow accounting for 34.4%. The papers involving a
Copyright©2009 Shanghai Research Institute of Acupuncture and Meridian︱● 57 ●
 J. Acupunct. Tuina. Sci. (2009) 7: 57-60

controlled trial increased year by year in recent five of Hand-Yangming (25.0%), the Bladder Meridian of
years. The number of the published papers also Foot-Taiyang (23.9%), the Kidney Meridian of Foot-
increased year by year in recent five years and Shaoyin (22.2%) and the Liver Meridian of Foot-
reached the largest in 2007 (Fig. 1). Jueyin (21.4%).
From the frequencies at which the points were
70
clinically used, they were relatively limited and the
60
major points selected were Baihui (GV 20), Neiguan
Papers 50
40
(PC 6) and Taichong (LR 3). From the frequencies at
30 which the points of meridians were used, the major
20 points selected were ones of the Governor Vessel and
10 the Stomach Meridian of Foot-Yangming. From the
0 ratio of the selected points of each meridian to its total
1987 1991 1996 2001 2007 points, the range of point selection was wide. Scalp
Fig.1. Analysis of literature published in different years points and head points were used in combination. The
(1987-2007) frequency at which Yintang (Ex-HN 3) and Shuigou
2.2 Characteristics of point selection (GV 26) were used decreased to a certain extent
Acupuncture-moxibustion treatment for depression (Fig. 2).
involved 150 points, including points of the fourteen 2.3 Major point combinations
regular meridians, ear points and scalp points. Of A comparison between every two pairs was made
them, there were 97 points of the fourteen regular of the points that ranked among the first 8 places in
meridians, 16 scalp points, 22 ear points and 15 other order of frequencies they were used for acupuncture-
points. moxibustion treatment of depression. The points of
The points used in more than 20% of the papers on which two were combined at a frequency of above
clinical reports were summarized and generalized. 50% were considered as the best combined ones, e.g.
Baihui (GV20, 92, the number of papers, below is the a combination of Baihui (GV 20) and Neiguan (PC 6)
same), Neiguan (PC 6, 75), Taichong (LR 3, 62), (59%), of Baihui (GV 20) and Taichong (LR 3) (52%),
Sanyinjiao (SP 6, 54), Shenmen (HT 7, 54), Yintang of Baihui (GV 20) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6) (54%) and
(Ex-HN 3, 52), Zusanli (ST 36, 47), Sishencong of Baihui (GV 20) and Yintang (56%); a combination
(Ex-HN 1, 42), Shuigou (GV 26, 40), Hegu (LI 4, 34) of Neiguan (PC 6) and Taichong (LR 3) (57%), of
and Taixi (KI 3, 33) were often selected for Neiguan (PC 6) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6) (63%) and of
acupuncture-moxibustion treatment of depression. Neiguan (PC 6) and Shenmen (HT 7) (59%); a
From the 97 points of the fourteen regular combination of Taichong (LR 3) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6)
meridians selected clinically, the order of the (58%), of Taichong (LR 3) and Shenmen (HT 7)
meridians according to the frequency at which the (56%) and of Taichong (LR 3) and Zusanli (ST 36)
points of each meridian were used was the Governor (51%); a combination of Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and
Vessel (149), the Stomach Meridian of Foot- Shenmen (HT 7) (59%) and of Sanyinjiao (SP 6)
Yangming (71), the Pericardium Meridian of Hand- and Zusanli (ST 36) (51%); a combination of
Jueyin (62), the Spleen Meridian of Foot-Taiyin (61), Shenmen and Zusanli (ST 36) (61%).
the Liver Meridian of Foot-Jueyin (57), the Bladder 80
70
Meridian of Foot-Taiyang (54) and the Conception
60
Vessel (50). The meridians, whose points were 50
selected more than 20%, were the Heart Meridian of % 40
Hand-Shaoyin (55.6%), the Governor Vessel (50.0%), 30
20
the Pericardium Meridian of Hand-Jueyin (44.4%),
10
the Conception Vessel (41.7%), the Spleen Meridian 0
of Foot-Taiyin (38.1%), the Stomach Meridian of GV 20 PC 6 LR 3 SP 6 HT 7 Ex-HN 3 ST 36 GV 26 Ex-HN 1

Foot-Yangming (28.9%), the Gallbladder Meridian of 1981-1990 1991-2000 2001－2007

Foot-Shaoyang (25.0%), the Large intestine Meridian Fig.2. Comparison of the major points used in different years

● 58 ● ︱Copyright©2009 Shanghai Research Institute of Acupuncture and Meridian

J. Acupunct. Tuina. Sci. (2009) 7: 57-60

Adjacent and remote points were often combined hypothalamus by immunohistochemistry in a rat
for acupuncture-moxibustion treatment of depression. model of chronic stress depression. The results
Head and lower limb points were used together, e.g. a showed that electroacupuncture could regulate the
[12]
combination of Baihui (GV 20) and Taichong (LR 3) hyperfunction of the HPA axis. A further study
(52.0%) and of Baihui (GV 20) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6) found that BDNF expression-positive hippocampal
(54.0%). Head and upper limb points were used neurons decreased obviously and vacuoles were the
together, a combination of Baihui (GV 20) and main morphological change in a rat model of chronic
Neiguan (PC 6) (59.0%). stress depression. Electroacupuncture could obviously
2.4 Characteristics of treatment methods improve brain-derived neurotropic factor. Besides, it
Acupuncture-moxibustion treatments for depres- was also found that serum IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α
sion, arranged in descending order, were acupuncture levels were significantly higher in depression patients
(60) [7], combined acupuncture and medicine (28) [6], than in normal person. They return basically to
electroacupuncture (28) [5, 8], scalp acupuncture (8) [8], normal after six weeks of electroacupuncture
psychotherapy, ear acupuncture, point application, treatment, indicating that electroacupuncture had an
[13] [14]
acupoint iontophoresis, acupoint needle-embedding, inhibitory effect on cytokine . QIAN Rui-qin et al
cupping and tuina, and acupuncture-moxibustion observed that peripheral blood lymphocyte
appliances. proliferation was inhibited in depression patients, and
An analysis the treatment methods showed that both simple electroacupuncture and combined
acupuncture was mainly used and a complex electroacupuncture and Shu Xue Ning could improve
[15]
treatment was also administered, e.g. acupuncture was immunologic functions in depression. XU hong et al
combined with medicine, with electroacupuncture and found that the influence of acupuncture on the
with scalp acupuncture. hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis was state-
dependent in depression patients, and the function of
80
70 the HPA axis return gradually to normal with the
60
50
appearance of the therapeutic effect of acupuncture in
% 40 the patients.
30
20
10
0
4 Discussion
针刺
Acupuncture 药物
Medicine 电针
Electroacupuncture 头针acupuncture
Scalp
1981-1990 1991-2000 2001-2007 Yu Zheng in Jing-yue Quan Shu (Depression of
Fig.3. Comparison of the major treatment methods used in Complete Works of Jing-yue) states: "Depression
different years caused by stagnation of five qi". Depression is often
caused by mental disturbance and stagnation of liver
3 Studies of the Mechanism qi. The main treatment methods are regulating the
mind and dispersing the stagnated liver qi[16] ,
JIN Guang-liang, et al[9,10] investigated the reinforcing the lower and clearing the upper, and
influence of electroacupuncture at points Baihui removing depression and refreshing the mind[2]. The
(GV 20) and Yintang (Ex-HN 3) on activities and treatment principle is activating the brain and opening
shuttling in depression rats and found that the orifice, and dispersing the stagnated liver qi and
electroacupuncture decreased rat electric shock time removing depression. Clinically, Baihui (GV 20),
obviously in a shuttling test under no influence on Shuigou (GV 26), Yintang (Ex-HN 3) and
their activities. Electroacupuncture could regulate Sishencong (Ex-HN 1) are selected for activating
cerebral mono- amine neurotransmitter levels in a rat the brain and opening the orifice; Taichong (LR 3) for
model of chronic stress depression. HAN Cui et al
[11]
dispersing the stagnated liver qi and removing
measured plasma hydrocortisone and adreno- depression; Neiguan (PC 6) for relieving chest
corticotrophic hormone contents by radioimmuno- stuffiness and tranquilizing the mind; Zusanli (ST 36),
assay and examined vasopressin expression positive Fenglong (ST 40), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Hegu (LI 4)
neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of for regulating the stomach and downbearing adverse
Copyright©2009 Shanghai Research Institute of Acupuncture and Meridian︱● 59 ●
 J. Acupunct. Tuina. Sci. (2009) 7: 57-60

qi; Taixi (KI 3) for reinforcing the liver and kidney. Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine,
2007, 21(2):109.
Baihui (GV 20), Neiguan (PC 6) and Taichong (LR 3)
[4] DONG Zhu-yan, FAN Yan-ping, YANG Jia-kai.
are the points used most frequently and combined best Acupuncture-moxibustion Treatment for 39 Cases of
for treatment of depression and are suggested as a Depression During Hemodialysis. Journal of Traditional
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[9] JIN Guang-liang, SU Jing, DING Shi-qing, et al. The
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[10] JIN Guang-liang, ZHOU Dong-feng, SU Jing. The
be established to further validate the reliability of its Influence of Electroacupuncture on Cerebral Monoamine
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moxibustion protocol should be sought. The study of
of Electroacupuncture at Points Baihui and Sanyinjiao on
combined acupuncture and medicament treatment for the HAP Axis in a Rat Model of Chronic Stress Depression.
this disease should be improved. Journal of Beijing University of Traditional Chinese
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[12] HAN Cui, LI Xue-wu, LI Xiao-hong, et al. The Influence
study of acupuncture treatment for depression have of Electroacupuncture on Hippocampal BDNF in a Rat
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[13] HAN Cui, WANG Lei, LI Xiao-hong, et al. The Influence
quick effect, having little side effect and maintaining a of Electroacupuncture on Serum Cytokine in Depression
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[14] QIAN Rui-qin, ZHANG Chun-ying, YANG Yu, et al. The
believed that acupuncture-moxibustion treatment and
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[15] XU Hong SUN Zhong-ren, LI Li-ping, et al. Acupuncture
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