Atlas of Acupuncture

5.2 Ren mai

Location

On the anterior midline, 1 cun superior to the upper border of the

pubic symphysis or 4 cun inferior to the umbilicus.

How to find

The distance between the centre of the umbilicus and the upper

border of the pubic symphysis is divided into 5 cun. As these can

vary considerably from the patient’s finger cun, only propor-

tional cun measurements should be used here (helpful device:

elastic tape ➞2.3.1). Locate Ren-3on the midline, 1 cun

superior to the midpoint of the upper border of the pubic sym-

physis.

Located on the same level are ➞KID-12 (0.5 cun lateral

to the midline) and ➞ST-29(2 cun lateral to the midline).

Needling

Vertically 0.5–1 cun. Caution: Peritoneum, bladder. Contraindi-

cated during pregnancy. Ask the patient to void their bladder

before needling.

Actions/Indications

● Benefits the Bladder, drains Dampness and Damp-Heat, dis-

pels stagnation, benefits the Lower Burner

● Regulates menstruation

● Strengthens the Kidneys (➞Ren-4is more commonly used

for this purpose)

Special features

Front-mupoint of the Bladder, meeting point with the LIV, KID

and SP channels. Important point for disorders of the urogenital

tract, with its main action on the Bladder (especially for acute

cases).

Middle Pole ZHONGJI Ren-3

Ren-2

Ren-3

Ren-8 Umbilicus

Upper border of

the pubic symphysis

1 cun

4 cun

Ren-3

Upper border

of the pubic

symphysis

16

Ren-2

25

29

ST-30

14

12

13

SP-12 KID-11

8

27

6

4

14

15 Umbilicus

Upper border

of the pubic

symphysis

1

2

3

4

KID-11 Ren-02

KID-12 Ren-03

Upper border

of the pubic

symphysis

ST-29

ST-30

Upper border of the

pubic symphysis

1 cun

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