Rules of acupoint selection and drug use in clinical treatment of hypertension with acupoint application therapy

Abstract

To explore the rules of acupoint selection and drug use in treatment of hypertension with acupoint application therapy. The articles of the clinical research of hypertension treated with acupoint application therapy were retrieved from Chinese journal full-text database (CNKI), VIP database (VIP) and Wanfang databases from the time of establishment to January 20, 2019. The database was set up with Microsoft Excel 2010. Using the cloud platform of the ancient and modern medicine record, the frequency statistical and clustering analyses were conducted. A total of 117 articles were collected, including 191 prescriptions, 60 aucpoints and 236 kinds of herbal drugs. It was found in the frequency statistical analysis that the top 6 acupoints in use frequency were Yongquan (KI 1), Quchi (LI 11), Taichong (LR 3), Shenque (CV 8), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Neiguan (PC 6). According to the correlation analysis, corresponding to these top 6 acupoints, the pairs of acupoints were Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Yongquan (KI 1), Shenque (CV 8) and Yongquan (KI 1), Neiguan (PC 6) and Yongquan (KI 1), Zusanli (ST 36) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Neiguan (PC 6) with Yongquan (KI 1), as well as Yongquan (KI 1) and Neiguan (PC 6) with Sanyinjiao (SP 6). The dominant meridians were the kidney meridian, the conception vessel and the bladder meridian. The special acupoints referred to yuan-source point, luo-connecting point, back-shu point and front-mu point. The top 3 herbal drugs in use frequency included fructus evodiae, semen sinapis and rhizoma chuanxiong. The herbs used were mainly warm and slight cold in nature and neutral in property. The frequencies of the drug use were similar in the application for cold and heat purposes. The common flavors of the herbal medicines were pungent, sweat and bitter and the liver, kidney and spleen meridians were generally involved in meridian tropism. In treatment of hypertension with acupoint application therapy, the commonly used single acupoint is Yongquan (KI 1), which is generally combined with Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Shenque (CV 8), Neiguan (PC 6) and Zusanli (ST 36). The correlation is emphasized on the application of special acupoints, meridian points and zangfu organs. The vesicatory herbal drugs are predominant in the drug use. In generally, this therapy embodies the treatment principles as tonifying for the deficiency and reducing for the excess, as well as balancing of cold and heat.