Penetrating vessel (Chong Mai)

The **Penetrating vessel** (Chinese: Chong Mai) is an **"extraordinary vessel"** in traditional Chinese medicine, regarded as one of the major channels regulating the body's vital substances. It is referred to as the "Sea of Blood" due to its role in storing and mobilizing blood and is closely linked to reproductive health, particularly in women, where it is involved in menstrual regulation, fertility, and maintaining pregnancy. Anatomically, the vessel is said to originate in the pelvic area (uterus in women), run through various organs, and impact multiple regions of the body, connecting to numerous other channels. Although acupuncture and herbal treatments may be described as "regulating" the Penetrating vessel, it is not a protein, gene, or receptor but a conceptual structure within East Asian medical systems.

Other names

Chong MaiSea of BloodSea of the 12 ChannelsSea of the Five Yin and Yang Organs