Qimen, Zhangmen and Jingmen
Star期門、章門、京門 (Qīmén, Zhāngmén, Jīngmén)
Modern Chinese point-pair (对穴) teaching, as compiled by Guo Changqing and colleagues at the School of Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.
Points
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Front-Mu point of the Liver; spreads constrained Liver qi through the chest and hypochondrium.
Supine. Find the sixth intercostal space two spaces below ST17 (the nipple), on the mid-clavicular line; in women, whose nipple position varies, use the mid-clavicular line in the sixth space rather than the nipple. Insert obliquely 0.5–0.8 cun, keeping the needle within the intercostal space and angled along it, never perpendicular. The source names the endothoracic fascia as the deepest layer reached; the parietal pleura lies directly beneath it, so the needle must stay superficial to it. An aching numbness should spread locally and round towards the back.
- ⚠ Major vessel
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Front-Mu point of the Spleen and Hui-Meeting point of the Zang; harmonises Liver and Spleen.
Supine or lying on the side. With the arm held against the trunk and the elbow bent, the point lies on the mid-axillary line where the elbow tip touches, just below the free end of the eleventh (floating) rib. Insert obliquely 0.5–0.8 cun through the subcutaneous tissue towards the subperitoneal fascia. The aching numbness should radiate towards the external genitalia. Do not needle perpendicularly or deeply: the liver lies beneath on the right and the spleen on the left.
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Front-Mu point of the Kidney; supports the water passages and the lower back.
Lying on the side. Just below the free end of the twelfth (floating) rib. Insert transversely under the skin, 0.5–1.0 cun, through the subcutaneous tissue towards the subperitoneal fascia. The aching numbness should spread into the lower back. Do not needle deeply or perpendicularly, as the kidney lies deep to the point.
Needling Safety
Cited hazards for these points. Tick what applies to the patient to see the cautions that follow from it.
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LV14 Qimen
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⚠ Vascular injury or haematoma has been reported after needling this point. Wu J, Hu Y, Zhu Y, Yin P, Litscher G, Xu S 2015, Table 4 (Organ injury) and Table 8 (Hemorrhage)
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No cited needling data yet for LV13, GB25. No flag here does not mean no risk.
Treatment Principle
Soothe the Liver and strengthen the Spleen, regulate the qi and relieve pain.
Indications
Method
Patient supine, turning to the side for GB25. LV14 and LV13 are needled obliquely 0.5–0.8 cun, and GB25 transversely 0.5–1.0 cun, each until an aching numbness appears — radiating to the back from LV14, to the external genitalia from LV13 and to the lower back from GB25.
⚠ Cautions
LV14 overlies the pleura and lung: keep the needle oblique within the intercostal space and never perpendicular, as deep insertion risks pneumothorax (the liver also lies beneath on the right). LV13 overlies the liver on the right and the spleen on the left, and GB25 the kidney — neither should be needled deeply or perpendicularly.
About
Three Front-Mu points along the rib margin and flank, grouped to free Liver qi, support the Spleen, regulate qi and ease pain. It suits distension and fullness of the chest, flanks and abdomen with digestive upset, and extends to water retention and poor urination.
Rationale
LV14, LV13 and GB25 are the Front-Mu points of the Liver, Spleen and Kidney respectively, following the costal margin from the sixth intercostal space to the tip of the twelfth rib. LV14 moves constrained Liver qi; LV13, also the Hui-Meeting point of the Zang and a meeting point of the Liver and Gallbladder channels, reconciles the Liver with the Spleen; GB25 brings in the Kidney's control of water, which accounts for the oedema and urinary items.
Sources
- Guo Changqing (ed.). Acupuncture of Acupoint Combinations: Quick Lookups. Daylesford: Heart Space Publications, 2020 (English edition; © China Science and Technology Press). ISBN 978-0-6489215-5-4. Chapter 3, combination 3.
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