Atlas of Acupuncture

4 Acupuncture Points of the Twelve Primary Channels

Location

With the patient looking straight ahead, directly below the cen-

tre of the pupil and approximately 0.4 cun lateral to the corner of

the mouth.

How to find

With the patient looking straight ahead, the first four points of

the ST channel are located on a vertical line drawn through the

centre of the pupil (pupil line). ST-4is located at the crossing

point of the pupil line and a horizontal line originating at the cor-

ner of the mouth. The point is located in the nasolabial groove

(➞3.1.2), approximately 0.4 cun lateral to the corner of the

mouth. Ask the patient to smile in order to make the line more

clearly visible.

Needling

Obliquely in a lateral direction or vertically 0.3–0.5 cun or pen-

etration method: transversely (subcutaneously) approximately

1.5–2 cun in cases of facial paralysis towards ➞ST-6, for trigem-

inal neuralgia towards ➞L.I.-20. Caution: Facial artery/vein.

Actions/Indications

● Expels Wind (from the face), opens the channel, alleviates

pain, relaxes the facial musculature

● Sometimes as distal point for disorders of the leg

Special features

Meeting point with the L.I. channel, the ren maiand yang qiao

mai(also with the du maiaccording to some authors). Important

local point for neuralgias and pareses affecting the mouth and

cheeks.

ST-4 Earth Granary DICANG

ST-4

0.4 cun

BL-2

ST-1

ST-2

Ex-HN

Ex-HN- 8

BL-1

Ex-HN-7

ST-4

Ex-HN-3

L.I.-20

T.B.-23

L.I.-19

ST-7

G.B.-2

ST-5

Ren-24

Du-26

G.B.-1

S.I.-18

ST-6

ST-5

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