Course: Point Location Date: Oct 26, 2007

Class #: 5

Things we Do and Don’t need to know for this class

Do:
 Know Chinese names of all channels (i.e. Lung – Lung Channel of the Hand Taiyin)
 General path of each channel (i.e., lung begins at MJ, where it goes, etc.)
 Know location of all acu points
 Know categories of all points
 Know needle depths/angles of points
 Know cautions/contraindications of points (like LI 4 not for preggers, ST 17 not for cupping)

Don’t need to know for exams in this class:

 Don’t need to know paths of divergents, luos, just the main paths
 Don’t need to know chinese names of acupoints.
 Don’t need to know energetics/indications of any point for this class.

Lung Channel of the Hand Taiyin

Know the path! Highlights to know:
1. Originates from MJ, not the chest
Clinical significance: when you have lung problems, strengthen the Mjiao so there is a good root
(Spleen) to handle the dampness/phlegm. Up to chest to cnx with the Lung organ
2. 2 branches:
a. Primary channel has a branch coming out from LU 7, obliquely on back of hand to LI
channel at LI 1.
b. Splits out to thenar eminence at thumb. This is NOT collateral, but part of the main
channel.

All channels travel bilaterally – both sides of the body.

Individual Points:

Lung 1
LU 1 is intersecting point of SP and LU channels

Location: level with the 1st intercostal space (Shen disagrees with book)
A small part of first rib is covered with clavicle. 1st intercostal space is next to the sternum, not over
where Lung 1 is!
To find the 1st intercostal, go to the medial pt of clavicle, down to feel 1st rib, down more to find 1st
intercostal space. Now go lateral 6 cun to get LU 1.

2 ways to find it:

Page 1 of 5
 1. Use width of hand x 2 from 1st intercostal space.
2. Start at midline, measure 6 cun out, or 3/4 of width of clavicle.
3. Use delt/pec triangle, located at the beginning of the 6 cun line.
a. Raise arm outward level to the ground.
b. Look for the hollow at the shoulder, 1 cun below that.

Categories:
Front Mu point of the Lungs.
Meeting point of the LU and SP

Needling: (Shen disagrees with book) – better to needle toward laterally.

Transverse oblique insertion 0.5 or 0.8 (book says up to 1 cun) laterally along intercostal space.
Note: on boards won’t ask you insertions for common points, but for special funky ones that are
dangerous unless done as specified.

In general, if point is on chest, go transverse to avoid puncturing something you really need!

Lung 2

Category: none

Location: 1 cun superior and slightly medial to Lung 1.

Antero-lateral aspect of the chest, below lateral extremety of the clavicle,
Hollow of delta-pectoral triangle. Very palpable, esp if raise arm forward and parallel to ground.

Needle: Same as LU 1.

Caution: possible pneumothorax

Lung 3

Category:
Window of Sky

Location:
Groove between shaft of humerus and lateral border of biceps brachial muscle.
Shen notes: 3 cun below end of axillary fold. Not from web margin of armpit. Drop arm naturally, find
the fold, go down 3.

Remember the measurement from axillary fold to cubital crease = 9 cun. This point is 1/3 of that
distance. Proportion location is more accurate than the previous measurement

Needling:

Convenient but inaccurate: put nose to arm, that’s LU 3. Some ppl think you can use LU 3 to treat grief.
Depth/angle?

Page 2 of 5
 Lung 4

Category:

Location:
Upper arm. Find 3 cun, go 1 thumb width down for the 4th. Again, proportional measurement is more
accurate.

Needling:
Perp .5-1cun.

Rarely used—lu problems only.

Lung 5
Location: elbow. Must slightly flex elbow, can see very thick, hard tendon here. That’s the tendon of the
bicips brachii, to thumb side. Find transverse cub crease.

Very commonly used as is a He Sea. Usually, needled perp. 0.8-1.2 cun. Tap the area or rub it first so it
gets a little redder if you want to bleed this point. Often used to clear heat from the upper jiao.
Pneumonia or asthma with coughing because of heat, use this point.

Lung 6

Loc: flexed forearm, 5 cun from LU 5, 7 cun above wrist crease. Needs to be located on the line between
lung 9 and lung 5. This line is 12 cun long. About 1 cun proximal to the middle point. Again,
proportiional is better. Find middle between the creases, go 1 cun up towards elbow.

Xi Cleft point of Lung channel. Acute, pain, blood (since this is Yin). Sometimes used to treat bleeding
hemorrhoids.

Needle 0.5 – 1 cun.

Lung 7

Location: radial forearm. Superior to styloid of radius, abt 1.5 cun above crease of wrist, between
tendons of brachioradialis and abductor pollicus longus. Hard to find, actually. Not on the line between
LU 5 and LU 9!

Convenient method: hook thumbs together, where index falls is LU 7…not always accurate

Luo connecting point for LU

Confluent point of Conception Vessel
Command point

Needling: pinch the skin, insert either along or against the channel.
Depth? Angle?

Page 3 of 5
 Lung 8

Location:
Above the wrist, 1 cun proximal to Taiyuan LU-9, on the line connecting Taiyuan LU-
9 with Kongzui LU-6, in the depression at the base of the styloid process of the
radius and on the radial side of the radial artery.

Find styloid process of radius—between artery and styloid process.

Category:
Jing River point
Metal Point of the Lung.

Needling:
Oblique proximal or perp 0.3-0.5 cun. Beware of the artery! Can cause a lot of bruising. If you hit it,
press abt 5 minutes to stop bleeding.

Notes:

Lung 9

Location:
At the wrist joint, in the depression between the radial
artery and the tendon of abductor pollicis longus, level with
Shenmen HE-7 (the proximal border of the pisiform bone).

Transverse crease of wrist.

The location of this point is normally given in relation to the crease of the wrist. Since wrist creases are a
superficial and variable anatomical feature, it is better to locate this point in relation to the nearby
pisiform bone: first locate Shenmen HE-7 at the lower border of the pisiform bone, then find Taiyuan LU-9
at the same level.

Category:
Shu stream of lung
Yuan source
Earth point
Hui meeting - good for vessel problems.

Needling:
????

Notes:
Tonify lung - deficiency or qi deficiency.

Page 4 of 5
B/c is hui meeting: Good for pulseless syndrome—pulse so weak almost cannot palpate. Use LU 9

Lung 10

Location:
Thenar emm, 1st metacarpal bone, border of red and white skin. Or where skin changes texture if you
can’t see color change. The drawing in the Deadman book is a little misleading.

Category:
Ying Spring point – especially good for heat clearing from UJ. Good for acute sorethroat. (LU 11 is
good too, but very painful to use).

Needling:
.5-1 cun depth.

Notes:
Supposed to be good for hangovers!

Lung 11

Location:
On the extensor aspect of the thumb, at the junction of lines drawn along the radial border of the nail
and the base
of the nail, approximately 0.1 cun from the corner of the nail.

Category:
Jing Well – used in emergencies, bring back consciousness, acute sorethroat due to exterior invasion.
Bleed it a little to treat this.
Wood point of LU
Ghost point per Sun Simiao

Needling:
???

Notes:

Page 5 of 5