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The website bringing you modern applications of ancient methods and more...

Chronoacupuncture is an ancient method for selecting and needling acupuncture points

that are active and therefore more effective on specific times of the day.
Chronoacupuncture, also known as circadian acupuncture or open point acupuncture, refer
to the same system of selecting open-hourly acupuncture points, that may be single points,
a combination of points or whole meridians. Calculation of these open points are based on
the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches used in the ancient Chinese Hsia calendar.

The theory of chronoacupunture goes back to the eastern Han-dynasty (25-200 after
Christ) After that period chronoacupuncture was described in different medical writings.
More about the historical background op chronoacupuncture can be found in
the Historysection.

There are four main methods of calculating open points, that are described in detail in
theAncient Methods section:

Na Zi Fa - chronoacupuncture based on based on daily branches. (Zi Wu Liu Zhu)

Na Jia Fa - chronoacupuncture based on daily stems using the five elements an the Shu-
transporting points.
Ling Gui Ba Fa - chronoacupuncture based on both daily stems and and daily branches
using the 8 extraordinary meridians
Fei Teng Ba Fa - an alternative chronoacupuncture approach that is derived from the Ling
Gui Ba Fa, using the hourly stem.

The ancients methods and the possibilities of the digital age have given birth to the
development of handy applications. An overview of webapplictions can be found in
theModern Applications section.

Stems & Branches

The 10 heavenly stems in combination with the 12 earthly branches form a group of
60 unique time combinations called the sexagenary cycle. The first stem S01 moves in a
circular way to the last stem S10. After that the cycle starts allover again at S01. This is
the same with the branches: The first branch B01 moves in a circular way to the last
branch B12. After that the cycle starts allover again at B01.
 There are 4 types of stem & branch combinations each connected to a specific timeframe:
Yearly stem & branch, monthly stem & branch, daily stem & branch and hourly stem &
branch. The latter is actual a zodiacal 'double hour'.

To use these stem and branches some calculations have to be made:

1. Before starting it is absolutely necessary to determine the correct time. To make a reliable
calculation of the open acupuncture points at a certain moment your Local Time has to be
converted to the Local Solar Time. This includes corrections on timezone, daylight saving time
and geographical longitude.
2. Calculate of stem and branch of the YEAR.
3. Calculate of stem and branch of the MONTH.
4. Calculate of stem and branch of the DAY.
5. Calculate of stem and branch of the HOUR.
6. Use the different stems and branches in different methods to lookup open acupuncture points
according to Na Zi Fa, Na Jia Fa, Ling Gui Ba Fa and
Fei Teng Ba Fa.
7. The theory of Zi Wu Liu Zhu
8.
9. The theory of Zi Wu Liu Zu was first written down by He Ryoyu. Later his work was
annotated by Yan Ming Guan in the 12th century.
10.
11. In Zi Wu Liu Zhu the natural phenomena such as the movement of celestial bodies like
the sun and the moon, the arrival and departure of the seasons, beginning and end of
the day and the eb and flow of the tides are described.
12.
13. Zi Wu Liu Zhu, literally meaning Midnight-Noon Ebb-Flow, explains what medical workers
had recognized through the ages, namely that continuous and repetitive cycles in nature
occur according to regular patterns.
14.
15. Zi and Wu
16. Zi (midnight) and Wu (noon) reflect the cycle of growth and decline of Yin and Yang.
Starting at Zi (Midnight) during the first bihourly period (23 pm-1 am) the Yin reaches
it’s maximum and the Yang is at it’s minimum. After that Yin is declining and Yang is
increasing.
17. At Wu (Noon) during the 7th bihourly period (11 am-13 am) the Yang reaches it’s
maximum and the Yin is at it’s minimum. From there Yang is declining and Yin is
increasing till the end of the daily cycle. Now a new 24-hour cycle starts all over again.
The Zi Wu Liu Zu-cycle is reflected in the cyclical movements of physiological functions in
the body.
18.
19. Liu and Zhu
20. Liu (ebb) anf Zhu (flow) are based on the gathering and dissipating of water of the tides.
This reflects the cyclic circulation of Qi and Blood in the meridians and explains that the
physiological functions of the body follow a daily rhythm and different other natural
timecycles.
21.
22. Zi Wu Liu Zhu: Cyclical flow of Qi and Blood through the meridians

Branch Channel ZangFu Period

子時 Zi shi Foot Shao Yang channel Gallbladder 23:00-01:00

丑時 Chou shi Foot Jue Yin channel Liver 01:00-03:00

寅時 Yin shi Hand Tai Yin channel Lung 03:00-05:00

卯時 Mao shi Hand Yang Ming channel Large Intestine 05:00-07:00

辰時 Chen shi Foot Yang Ming channel Stomach 07:00-09:00

巳時 Si shi Foot Tai Yin channel Spleen 09:00-11:00

午時 Wu shi Hand Shao Yin channel Heart 11:00-13:00

未時 Wei shi Hand Tai Yang channel Small Intestine 13:00-15:00

申時 Shen shi Foot Tai Yang channel Urinary Bladder 15:00-17:00

酉時 You shi Foot Shao Yin channel Kidney 17:00-19:00

戌時 Xu shi Hand Jue Yin channel Pericardium 19:00-21:00

亥時 Hai shi Hand Shao Yang channel Triple Burner 21:00-23:00

23.
24. In chronoacupuncture the Zi Wu Liu Zu is used to determine the meridian that is open at
a certain moment in time according to the ancient method of Na Zi Fa.
25.

The 10 Heavenly Stems

The 10 heavenly stems are a Chinese system of ordinals that first appear during the Shang
dynasty (1250 BC), as the names of the ten days of the week. They were also used in the
Shang-period ritual as names for dead family members, who were offered sacrifices on the
corresponding day of the Shang week.

The 10 stems belong to one of the 5 elements and have an alternating YinYang polarity.
Each stem follows the cyclical changes of nature in chronological order.
 The 10 heavenly stems

Stem PinYin Polarity Element Meaning

1 甲 jiǎ yang Tender buds split pods

wood
2 乙 yǐ yin Seedling grows up day by day

3 丙 bǐng yang Growth becomes notable

fire
4 丁 dīng yin Seedling becomes big and strong

5 戊 wù yang Crop is growing luxuriantly

earth
6 己 jǐ yin Crop is ripe

7 庚 gēng yang Renovation takes place

metal
8 辛 xīn yin New life begins to shape

9 壬 rén yang It is becoming pregnant

water
10 癸 guǐ yin Next generation begins to sprout

In chronoacupuncture the 10 heavenly stems are often combined with

the 12 earthly branches. Together they form the sexagenary cycle, a group of unique
stem and branch combinations.

The 12 Eartly Branches

The earthly branches provide a Chinese system for the calculation of time.
This system was built from observations of the orbit of Jupiter, that was divide into 12
zodiacal sections by ancient Chinese astronomers.

The 12 branches are connected to the 12 months of the year, the seasons and the 12
Chinese zodiacal signs. The 12 stems form the basis of the system of zodiacal double
hours.

The 12 earthly branches

Branch Zodiac Season Month Bihour Meaning

Yang begins to
1 子 Zǐ Rat 11 23:00-01:00 develop while yin
reaches it’s zenith
winter

New buds begin come

2 丑 chǒu Ox 12 01:00-03:00
out of the ground
 Yang energy develops
3 寅 Yín Tiger 1 03:00-0500
increasingly

Yang energy begins to

4 卯 mǎo Rabbit spring 2 05:00-07:00
prosper

There is a changing or
5 辰 chén Dragon 3 07:00-09:00
shaking

There comes the end

6 巳 Sì Snake 4 09:00-11:00
of the blossom

Yin begins to develop

7 午 Wǔ Horse autumn 5 11:00-13:00 while yang reaches it’s
zenith

8 未 Wèi Goat 6 13:00-15:00 Fruits begin to ripe

Crops are ripe for the

9 申 shēn Monkey 7 15:00-17:00
harvest

10 酉 Yǒu Rooster summer 8 17:00-19:00 Crops wither away

11 戌 Xū Dog 9 19:00-21:00 The harvest is finished

12 亥 Hài Pig winter 10 21:00-23:00 Crops are stored

In chronoacupuncture the 12 earthly branches are often combined with

the 10 heavenly stems. Together they form the sexagenary cycle, a group of unique
stem and branch combinations.
The Sexagenary Cycle

Originally the 10 Heavenly Stems were used in combination with

the 12 Earthly Branches to produce a compound cycle of sixty terms,
used for recording days and years.

This cycle, and variations on it have been an important part of time keeping in historical
calendars in the far east. Nowadays, the traditional method of numbering days and years
no longer has any significant role in modern Chinese time keeping or the official calendar.

However, the sexagenary cycle still continues to have a role in contemporary Chinese
astrology and fortune telling as used in the Four Pillars of Destiny. It also is used in
chronoacupuncture to determine open extra meridians according to the ancient
methodsLing Gui Ba Fa and Fei Teng Ba Fa.

The 5-phases Sheng-cycle

Wu Xing literally meaning the 5 phases, is an ancient system to describe the interactions
and relationships of natural phenomena.
Each of the 5 phases Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water are associated with different
aspects of cosmology, geomancy and nature.
In traditional Chinese medicine the 5 phases are connected to the Zang Fu (the main
organs of the body) and their meridians.

The 5 phases cycles

The basic theory of the 5 phases is described in 2 cycles, the Sheng-cycle, meaning
thrgenerating cycle and the Ke-cycle, meaning the overcoming cycle.
In chronoacupuncture mainly the Sheng-cycle is used in the Na Jia Fa.

The Sheng-cycle (generating cycle) is based on the idea that Qi flows from one phase to
another in one direction in a circular motion, starting from the Wood element, going
through the Fire, Earth and Metal element consecutively and ending in the Water element.
From there the cycle starts allover again. This circular movement of Qi is often described in
a metaphor:

Wood feeds Fire (burn)> Fire creates Earth (ash)> Earth bears Metal (construction)>
Metal carries Water (bucket)> Water nourishes Wood (growth)

The 5 phases connection to the Zang Fu and meridians

Stem Zang Fu Meridian

 Liver Foot Jue Yin channel
Wood
Gallbladder Foot Shao Yang channel

Heart Pericardium Hand Shao Yin / Hand Jue Yin channel

Fire
Small Intestine Triple Burner Hand Tai Yang / Hand Shao Yang channel

Spleen Foot Tai Yin channel

Earth
Stomach Foot Yang Ming channel

Lung Hand Tai Yin channel

Metal
Large Intestine Hand Yang Ming channel

Kidney Foot Shao Yin channel

Water
Urinary Bladder Foot Tai Yang channel

The Shu-Transporting cycle

The Shu-transporting points together with the Yuan-source points and the Luo-connecting
points belong to the oldest point categories used in traditional chinese medicine. These
include a group of 66 acupuncture points that are located on the upper and lower
extremities on the body.

The flow of Qi and Blood in the meridians is often compared with the metaphore of a water
flow, starting at a well, forming a spring, gathering water in a stream, growing into a river
and finally flowing into sea. This is why the names of the Shu-transporting points are Jing-
well, Ying-spring, Shu-stream, Jing-river and He-sea.

Stem Element Meaning

Wood (on Yin channels) a deep well

Jing-well
Metal (on Yang meridians)

Fire (on Yin channels) a tiny water stream

Ying-spring
Water (on Yang meridians)

Earth (on Yin channels) a fast mountain stream

Shu-stream
Wood (on Yang meridians)

Metal (on Yin channels) a broad river

Jing-river
Fire (on Yang meridians)

Water (on Yin channels) mouth of a river, the sea

He-sea
Metal (on Yang meridians)
 Determination of the correct time (local solar time)

Time keeping nowadays has gone through different alterations due to economical and
political influences. Time corrections like timezones and daylight saving are man made and
deviate from the natural timecycles that are used in chronoacupuncture.
The stems and branches theory makes use of the true local solar time.
This means that it is based on the highest position of the sun in the sky at

To convert local time to local solar time (LST) take the following steps:

 Choose the local time at the place of choice

 Distract or Add timezone(s) above or below GMT depending or your location.
 Distract daylight savings if applicable (in most cases 1 hour)
 The result is the GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) at longitude 0’
 Lookup the longitude of the place of choice and divide by 15.
 Add the result (in hours and minutes) to the previous calculated GMT. This is the Local Solar
Time (LST) used for calculation of the stems and branches.

How to calculate the stem & branch of the Year

 (Year-3):60 = remainder (-3 because the 1st stem and branch started in year 4!)
 Yearly stem = remainder : 10
 Yearly branch = remainder : 12

How to calculate the stem & branch of the Month

 Take the yearly stem and lookup the stem and branch of the first month
 If yearly stem is S1 or S6; 1st monthly stem = 3

If yearly stem is S2 or S7; 1st monthly stem = 5

If yearly stem is S3 or S8; 1st monthly stem = 7
If yearly stem is S4 or S9; 1st monthly stem = 9

 If yearly stem is S5 or S10; 1st monthly stem = 1

 The 1st monthly branch is always 3
 Check the Chinese calendar at which day the first month starts! (beginning of february) and
which day the target month ends!!!
 Monthly stem = Add number of months to the 1st monthly stem for each month after the first
month. (after S10 the stem cycle starts again with S1…)
 Monthly branch = Add number of months to 3 (the 1st monthly branch) for each month after
the first month. (after B12 the stem cycle starts again with B1…)
 How to calculate the stem & branch of the Day

 Look up the date, the daily stem and the daily branch of the Chinese new years day in a Hsia
calendar or in a lookup table.
 Add number of days to both New Year daily stem and daily branch till date of choice.
 Divide result by 10; Remainder is daily stem (if remainder = 0 then stem = 10)
 Divide result by 12: Remainder is daily branch (if remainder = 0 then branch = 12)

How to calculate the stem & branch of the Hour

 Take the daily stem and lookup the stem and branch of the first double hour
 If daily stem is S1 or S6; 1st double hourly stem = 1
If daily stem is S2 or S7; 1st double hourly stem = 3
If daily stem is S3 or S8; 1st double hourly stem = 5
If daily stem is S4 or S9; 1st double hourly stem = 7
If daily stem is S5 or S10; 1st double hourly stem = 9

 Double hourly stem = Add number of double hours to the 1st double hourly stem. (after S10
the stem cycle starts again with S1…)
 Double hourly branch = Add number of double hours to 1 (the 1st double hourly branch,
23:00-01:00) (after B12 the stem cycle starts again with B1…)

Daily Branch Open Meridian

03:00-05:00 Lung
05:00-07:00 Large Intestine
07:00-09:00 Stomach
09:00-11:00 Spleen
11:00-13:00 Heart
13:00-15:00 Small Intestine
15:00-17:00 Urinary Bladder
17:00-19:00 Kidney
19:00-21:00 Pericardium
21:00-23:00 Triple Burner
23:00-01:00 Gall Bladder
01:00-03:00 Liver
 Na Zi Fa (daily cycle based on earthly branches)

The easiest method to use chronoacupuncture is to calculate the double hourly branch for a
given Local Solar Time and look up the channel that is open on that moment. There are
different approaches on which point to be used on that open channel:

 Horary point (Shu transporting point that has the same element as the open channel)
 Yuan source point
 Luo point of the open channel to feed into the Yuan source point of the coupled meridian
 Yuan point combined with the inner energy point of the open channel
 Tonify the mother element when the open channel is deficient according to the Sheng-cycle
(eventually tonify the mother element of the channel that was previously open)
 Reduce the son element when the open channel is in excess according to the Sheng-cycle
(eventually reduce the son element on the channel that will be open next)
 Use exit point of the open channel and the entry point of the channel that will be open next.

Any other point can be use on the open channel when it applies to certain symptoms,
patterns or pathologies.

Na Zi Fa (10-day cycle based on heavenly stems)

The Na Jia Fa method uses the stem of the day to calculate the open 5-phase points during
the different zodiacal double-hours. In this method each stem of the day is connected to a
specific Zang Fu-organ:

Jia Yi Bing Ding Wu Ji Geng Xin Ren Gui

(S01) (S02) (S03) (S04) (S05) (S06) (S07) (S08) (S09) (S10)

GB LR SI HT ST SP LI LU BL KI

To calculate the open points for a double hour, the following rules have to be followed:

 Open points always begin with the Jing Well point of the channel in charge of a given day on
the first double hour. (important: the first double hour doesn’t open on the first daily
branch but on the last Yang double hour of the 1st day S01-B11 or the last Yin double hour of
the 1st day S01-B10)
 Open points follow the sequence of the five element Sheng-cycle (wood > fire > earth >
metal > water) combined with the sequence of the Shu transporting points.(Jing-Well >
Ying-Spring > Shu-stream > Jing-River > He-Sea)
 Yang points are only open on Yang days during Yang double hours. Yin points are only open on
Yin days during Yin double hours. During double hours in between no points are open.
 The end of each sequence is closed by a Triple burner point on Yang days and a Pericardium
point on Yin days. These points act as a transition from one to the next sequence Triple
burner controls all Qi and feeds all Yang meridians in a clockwise order, Pericardium controls
all Blood feeds all Yin meridians in a counterclockwise order. Jing Well points of the Triple
burner on S09 days and of the Pericardium on the S10 are not used. Only the Jing Well points
of the the channel on duty on that day.
 On a stem S10 day the kidney is in charge, but does not open untill the last Yin branch of the
day. This is the cause for a gap between a gap between B01 and B12 on stem day S10
 During the double houirs that no points are open, the husband-wife rule or rule of the unlike
Qi is used for secondary choice substitutes for open points. (between brackets)
 If any Shu-stream point is open, also the Yuan Source point of the meridian in charge is used.

In the Na Jia Fa 10-day cycle the following points are open at this moment:
HT-4
Ling Gui Ba Fa (the eight methods of sacred turtle)
(60 day cycle)
Ling Gui Ba Fa means “8 methods of sacred turtle”. This is a complex method that is based
on the Hou Tian Ba Gua, the mythological symmetrical pattern of HeTu (river chart),
carried by the dragon horse Qi Lin and the magical diagram Luo Shu, carried by the sacred
turtle. These numerical patterns and the theory of promoting and completing numbers, for
the basis for the substitution numbers for stems and branches.
To calculate the open points the daily stem and daily branch are substituted by another
number. Also the hourly stem and hourly branch are substituted. Using a formula, the
 substitution number can be calculated to look up the open extra meridian and its open
masterpoint.

Daily Stem Daily Branch Hourly Stem Hourly Branch

S01 10 B01 7 S01 9 B01 9

S02 9 B02 10 S02 8 B02 8

S03 7 B03 8 S03 7 B03 7

S04 8 B04 8 S04 6 B04 6

S05 7 B05 10 S05 5 B05 5

S06 10 B06 7 S06 9 B06 4

S07 9 B07 7 S07 8 B07 9

S08 7 B08 10 S08 7 B08 8

S09 8 B09 9 S09 6 B09 7

S10 7 B10 9 S10 5 B10 6

B11 10 B11 5

B12 7 B12 4

To calculate the open acupuncture point the following formula is used:

Substitution number Daily Stem + Substitution number Daily Branch + Substitution
number Hourly Stem + Substitution number Hourly Branch divided by 9 (on Yang days) or
6 (on Yin days) The remainder is the number connected to the open extra meridian and
open master point. (lookup table) If the remainder is 0, the number is 9 on Yang days and
6 on Yin days.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Yang Qiao Yin Qiao Yang Wei Dai Yin Qiao Chong Du Yin Wei Ren
Mai Mai Mai Mai Mai Mai Mai Mai Mai

BL-62 KI-6 SJ-5 GB-41 KI-6 SP-4 SI-3 PC-6 LU-7

In the Ling Gui Ba Fa 60-day cycle GB-41 is the open at this moment.
The coupled point is TB-5
Fei Teng Ba Fa (eight methods of flying and jumping)
This is another application of the stem and branch theory connected to the extra meridians.
Fei Teng Ba Fa means “8 methods of flying and jumping”. This method is based on the Ling
Gui Ba Fa but only uses double hourly branches to calculate the open extra meridians and
their open master and coupled points.

Alternatively this method can simply be calculated by taking the Hourly Stem and lookup
the connection with the open meridian:

In the Fei Teng Ba Fa KI-6 is the open at this moment.

The coupled point is LU-7