San Jiao

San Jiao is a term found in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), as part of modelling the workings of the human body attempted by early Chinese medical writers. References to it can be found in the oldest Chinese medical texts available, including the Yellow Emperor's Huang Di Nei Jing.

San Jiao has been translated as "triple heater," triple warmer (or three warmers)," and "triple burner," the latter of which is probably favored because of the involvement of the San Jiao in metabolism. The current WHO standard term is "Triple Energizer" (TE), but many authors still prefer to use San Jiao.

The San Jiao as a body model

There are three "burning spaces":

• The Shang Jiao (upper burner) - corresponding to the thoracic cavity. This space includes Fei (lungs) and Xin (Heart), and is associated with respiration.
• The Zhong Jiao (middle burner) - corresponding to the upper part of the dorsal cavity. This space includes Wei (Stomach), Pi (usually called "Spleen", but better called the "nutrient uptake system", eg in WMS terms the Hepatic Portal System, various secretory pancreatic cells, perhaps the duodenum, portions of the lymphatic system carrying chyle, as well as catabolic and transaminoic functions of liver cells) and is associated with digestion.
• The Xia Jiao (lower burner) - corresponding to the lower part of the dorsal cavity. This space includes Xiao Chang (small intestine), Da Chang (large intestine), Shen (Kidneys), Pang Guang (Bladder) and is associated with elimination.

Other Zang Fu organs were not included in the San Jiao model.

The Hand Channel of San Jiao Shao Yang is so called because of its generalized effects across the San Jiao. San Jiao is not an organ. In fact, many Zang Fu organ translations do not directly correspond with their defined western organ.

The Shao Yang channel is the second shallowest channel in the six divisions of channel theory, and its hand division - San Jiao - starts at the fingernail of the ring finger, travels up the outside center of the hand and arm, encompasses the elbow, continues to the back of the Acromio-clavicular joint (part of the shoulder), meeting with the other Yang channels at the junction of the seventh cervical and first thoracic vertebrae (GV-14 "da zhui"), before travelling up the neck to behind the ear, encompassing the external ear and terminating at outer tip of the eyebrow. Aside from Wai Guan (TE-5), its points' most common clinical uses are for local problems.

San Jiao relationships

In TCM theory, the San Jiao is a yang organ paired with the pericardium (Xin Bao) which is the yin organ associated with it. Yang (Fu) organs are typically hollow, whereas yin (Zang) organs are more solid. The triple burner, however, is said to be primarily energetic and does not have a physical component, unlike all the other organs in TCM. In dissecting a body, one would not be able to find a structure that could be called the San Jiao.

The San Jiao's Hand-Foot partner is Dan (Gall Bladder).

San Jiao function

The San Jiao is also said to be a metabolism mechanism similar to an old-fashioned water wheel that is turned by incoming water and creates energy for accomplishing a task, such as grinding grain in the case of the water wheel, or for metabolising and digesting food in the case of the San Jiao. The San Jiao is closely associated with the spleen functions of transformation and transportation, particularly the metabolism of incoming food. The San Jiao is also closely associated with the kidney's function in TCM. The San Jiao, however, is not limited to one metabolism function as the spleen or kidneys are, but is a general metaboliser which can be applied to a variety of metabolism needs.

This dual usage of San Jiao to refer to a specific metabolic function and to refer to the areas of the body is a source of confusion, and care should be taken to make it explicit which is being referred to.

San Jiao and Wu Xing

San Jiao is related to the fire element of the Chinese Five Elements.

See also

• Dantian
• Qigong