Am J Chin Med. 1994 ; 22(2): 103-10.

Experimental evidence of a plant meridian system: II. The effects of needle acupuncture on the temperature changes of soybean (Glycine max).

Hou TZ, Re ZW, Li MD.

Xinjiang Academy of Forestry Science, Urumqi, China.

When stainless steel needles were inserted opposite each other in the stem near the unifoliolate buds of soybean plants and retained there for the whole experiment, leaf temperatures increased for two consecutive days. Following acupuncture, the mean temperature of the main vein in the first and second days increased 0.59 degree C and 0.48 degree C, respectively, while the temperature of mesophyll increased only 0.50 degree C and 0.47 degree C in the first and second days. These results are very consistent with studies on the human meridian system. This is our second report on experimental evidence that plants may have a meridian system as is known to exist in mammals.