Analysis of acupuncture treatment characteristics of epigastric pain in ancient times

Epigastric pain involves the inflammation, ulcer,spasm and tumor in the stomach, esophagus,diaphragm and the like. The heart, liver, gallbladder and spleen are near to the epigastrium, so the pain associated with these organs is mistakenly taken as epigastric pain. Consequently, some of these organs' disorders are inevitably included in this study. With the help of computer, we have statistically analyzed the information concerning the treatment of epigastric pain by acupuncture in 93 ancient medical books. Results show that 66 pieces of information and 60 acupoints (139 times in frequency) are involved in the treatment of epigastric pain.