As recorded in the book Miraculous Pivot, there were nine kinds of metallic needles at that time with different shapes and uses. They are named as nine needles including the needles for puncturing, surgical incision and massage. In 1968, in Mancheng County, Hebei province, an ancient tomb of the Western Han Dynasty buried in 113 B.C. was excavated. Among the relics, there were four golden needles and five decaying silver ones. These discoveries demonstrate the original shapes of the ancient needles. The doctors of this period treated diseases with multiple techniques.
Origins and History
Acupuncture can be traced back as far as the Stone Age in China, when stone knives and pointed rocks were used to relieve pain and diseases. These instruments were known by the ancients as "bian." In the Han Dynasty (206 BC to 220 AD) an Analytical Dictionary of Characters "Shuo Wen Jie Zi" describes the character "bian" as meaning a stone to treat disease. Later these stones were replaced by needles made of bamboo and slivers of animal bone, then finally in the Shang Dynasty bronze casting techniques made metal needles possible, which conducted electricity (and qi). This led to the mapping of the meridian system or "channels" of energy within the body.
The first extant text in which the practice of acupuncture appears is a biography of a physician named Shun-yu Yi, written in approximately the year 90 BC. His biographer includes dialogues with detailed discussions about the uses of acupuncture at specific points on the body as well as theoretical information about the circulation of qi (pronounced "chee") and the nature of disease.
CHAN NEEDLE
YUAN NEEDLE
DI NEEDLE
FENG NEEDLE
FEI NEEDLE
YUANLI NEEDLE
HAO NEEDLE
DA NEEDLE
CHANG NEEDLE
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