By extracting the acupoint names and their main indications from cases in

Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion Therapy

and

Practical Acupuncture and Moxibustion

the acupoints and their main indications are represented in a reduced dimension

establishing an "acupoint-indication" linkage. Using complex network detection results (node degr

ee values)

the specificity of acupoints was assessed. The small-world characteristics of the "acupoint-indication" network are utilized to analyze the consistency of acupoint selection in acupuncture prescriptions and strategies to avoid redundant acupoints. The results show that the "acupoint-indication" network formed by both texts exhibited an approximate "long-tail" distribution

with a large number of node degree values concentrated between 0 and 4 000

while a few nodes have degree values exceeding 10 000. There are significant differences in the number and distribution of nodes with degree values

>

10 000 between the two texts.

Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion Therapy

includes 11 acupoints with multiple edges across the body

whereas

Practical Acupuncture and Moxibustion

contains only 2 such acupoints

located in the lower limbs. Clinically

some acupoints have a broad therapeutic effect and appear in numerous prescriptions. The division of acupoints based on node degree values can coarsely evaluate the body region specificity of acupoints' regulatory effects. The "acupoint-indication" network of

Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion Therapy

has a higher number of edges than that of

Practical Acupuncture and Moxibustion

which might be related to the different historical contexts of the two texts. In the future

diagnostic and therapeutic patterns with historical continuity can be utilized to optimize acupuncture prescriptions.