Chinese Medicine : The Fifteen Collaterals

The Fifteen Collaterals

The collaterals are the transverse branches which bifurcate from the channels. There are fifteen collaterals in all, that is, each of the twelve regular channels has a collateral, plus the Ren and Du channels, and the great collateral of the spleen.

These collaterals are distributed in certain areas of the body. On the four limbs, the collaterals of the yin channels run towards the yang channels which are exteriorly-interiorly related; while the collaterals of the yang channels run to their exteriorly-interiorly related yin channels. On the trunk, the collateral of the Ren channel spreads over the abdomen. The collateral of the Du channel disperses throughout the head and branches off to join the Taiyang channel of the foot. The great collateral of the spleen is distributed over the chest and hypochondriac regions.

The collaterals strengthen the function of the twelve regular channels and closely connect the exterior-interior related channels. They also assist the transportation and distribution of qi and blood in order to moisten and nourish the whole body