The teaching and practice of Acupuncture has become increasingly ‘herbalised’ in recent times, (a description first used by Ted Kaptchuk in the mid 1980’s) and as a consequence, this has encouraged an increasingly cerebral approach. It is not the intention of this article to entirely disparage this approach; in keeping with the heterogeneous nature of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) it is acknowledged that important insights into the practice of Acupuncture can be gained from it. However, to neglect the fundamental differences between traditional Chinese herbal medicine and Acupuncture would be to commit a serious error. Therefore I aim to demonstrate the historical precedents for a Channel based and palpatory approach to the practice of Acupuncture as well as to explore the contemporary literature dealing with it. Additionally, this article explores the implications for Chinese medicine education and research.