Mainly Treated Disease
Bitter Taste in the Mouth and Dryness of the Tongue

Mnemonic Verse
A bitter taste in the mouth, dryness of the tongue, and restlessness and irritability of the mind mostly result from the upward rise of the fire in the Triple Burner.
Fuliu, Guanchong, and Erjian are wonderful acupoints. The golden needles will bring about an effect within a short time.

Introduction of Acupoints
Fuliu: Located two cun above the medial malleolus, in the depression between the muscle and the bone.
Guanchong: Located on the outer side of the ring finger, at a distance from the nail like the width of a scallion leaf.
Erjian: Located at the tip of the transverse crease in front of the metacarpophalangeal joint of the index finger, at the junction of the red and white flesh.

Analysis of Etiology and Pathology
[Analysis 1]: According to “The Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion”: When the heat qi of the Triple Burner congests in the upper burner, it is not easy to regulate the bitter taste in the mouth and dryness of the tongue. By needling Guanchong to let out the toxic blood, the mouth will produce saliva and all the diseases will disappear. It is also said that Fuliu can relieve the suffering of dryness of the mouth and tongue.
[Analysis 2]: According to the “Inner Canon of Huangdi”: The Triple Burner is the official in charge of dredging the waterways. It is also said that the upper burner is like a mist, the middle burner is like a soaking process, and the lower burner is like a drainage ditch. When a person’s mind is calm and there are no desires or thoughts, the essence qi spreads in the Triple Burner and enriches the hundred meridians. However, once a thought or desire arises, the fire of desire burns fiercely, gathering the qi in the Triple Burner. The essence qi overflows and converges at the Mingmen, and then is excreted. Therefore, this organ is called the Triple Burner.
According to the “Treatise on the Secret Canon of the Spiritual Orchid” in “Plain Questions”, the Triple Burner is the official in charge of dredging the waterways. According to the 31st question in “Classic of Difficult Issues”, the Triple Burner is the pathway of water and grains, and the starting and ending point of qi. The upper burner is at the upper opening of the stomach, mainly responsible for receiving and not excreting. The middle burner is in the middle of the stomach, neither above nor below, mainly responsible for ripening and transforming water and grains. The lower burner is at the upper opening of the bladder, mainly responsible for distinguishing between the clear and the turbid, and mainly for excreting and not receiving.

Medical Cases
[Case 1]: Ms. Ying, 59 years old, from Hebei Province, lived in Lane 4, Huanhe West Road, Yonghe. She had suffered from the disease of a bitter taste in the mouth and dryness of the tongue for more than a month. On February 1, the 61st year of the Republic of China, she asked me for diagnosis and treatment. After needling the three acupoints of Fuliu, Guanchong, and Erjian, she was cured immediately.