BL19

Danshu

Star

膽俞 (Dǎnshū) — Gallbladder Shu

Bladder channel · point 19

Not yet clinically reviewed

Back-Shu point of the Gallbladder

Traditionally used for

Colds & fever
Digestion
Urinary & fluids
Liver & jaundice

Cautions & contraindications

No deep needling

Location

On the back, 1.5 cun lateral to the lower border of the spinous process of T10.

How to locate: With the patient prone, find T7 level with the inferior angle of the scapula and count down three spinous processes to T10; the point is 1.5 cun lateral to the lower edge of that process.

Regional anatomy: Skin and subcutaneous tissue, then latissimus dorsi and erector spinae; the pleura and lung lie beneath, so deep needling risks pneumothorax.

Distances are in cun, a proportional unit — how to measure.

Body map, back: BL19 · Upper back — Fig. — BL19 · Upper back After Albinus, 1747

The vertebral column — Gray's Anatomy plate — The vertebral column Gray's Anatomy, 1918

3D view

Drag, or focus the model and use the arrow keys, to rotate; + and − to zoom; 0 to reset; Esc to close.

Skin Skeleton

Needle diagram for the marked point — a schematic section through the skin, not the model.

Technique 1: Oblique (45° to the skin), 0.5–1 cun Direction (source's words): “towards the spine” Scale: 1 cun as WHO 2008 defines it here — Between the bilateral medial borders of the scapula: 6 B-cun; this scale is half of the 6 B-cun between the two medial borders (posterior midline to one border), 3 B-cun. Deadman gives depth in cun, conventionally the patient's own finger-cun. It is drawn here to this region's proportional (B-)cun, so the bar approximates an approximation. Not a depth in millimetres.

Technique 2: Transverse-oblique (about 20° to the skin), 1–1.5 cun Scale: 1 cun as WHO 2008 defines it here — Between the bilateral medial borders of the scapula: 6 B-cun; this scale is half of the 6 B-cun between the two medial borders (posterior midline to one border), 3 B-cun. Deadman gives depth in cun, conventionally the patient's own finger-cun. It is drawn here to this region's proportional (B-)cun, so the bar approximates an approximation. Not a depth in millimetres.

3D anatomy: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science licensed under CC Attribution 4.0 International (licence). Subset, simplified and recoloured by Verscienta — changes and licence details.

Approximate placement, carried over from our 2D body map onto a single adult male model (BodyParts3D) and checked against the point's location text. Shown on one side of the body. Locate the point on your patient by the location text and palpation, not by this model.

Cun on this part of the body: Between the bilateral medial borders of the scapula: 6 B-cun; this scale is half of the 6 B-cun between the two medial borders (posterior midline to one border), 3 B-cun (WHO 2008, General Guidelines, Proportional Bone (Skeletal) Measurements, p. 12).
Needle angle and depth: Oblique (45° to the skin), 0.5–1 cun, towards the spine. Deadman P, Al-Khafaji M, Baker K, p. 277
Transverse-oblique (about 20° to the skin), 1–1.5 cun. Deadman P, Al-Khafaji M, Baker K, p. 277

Needling

Cited needling

Techniques — the source gives these as alternatives:

Oblique insertion — towards the spine

Depth 0.5–1 cun

skindeeper
Transverse-oblique insertion

Depth 1–1.5 cun

skindeeper

Depths describe average adult habitus in the cited population, never a single safe number for the patient in front of you. Palpate and adjust.

Sources (1)

Deadman P, Al-Khafaji M, Baker K. A Manual of Acupuncture. Hove: Journal of Chinese Medicine Publications; 1998 — p. 277 Supports: techniques (names this point)

Site notes · not cited

No deep needling

Depth: 0.5–0.8 cun

Angle: Oblique, directed medially

⚠ Cautions: Pneumothorax risk on deep perpendicular insertion.

Functions

Clears damp-heat from the Liver and Gallbladder
Expels pathogenic factors from the Shao Yang and resolves jaundice
Tonifies and regulates Gallbladder qi
Unbinds the chest

Indications

Jaundice and bitter taste in the mouthhypochondriac pain and gallstonesalternating chills and fevervomitingpulmonary tuberculosis (classical)

Combinations Using This Point

Geshu and Danshu

BL17 and BL19 needled together — the classical Four Flowers set, which moves qi and blood and regulates the Liver and Gallbladder.

Similar Points

Ranked by shared patterns and conditions

Yanglingquan how are these connected? Riyue how are these connected? Qimen how are these connected? Zhiyang how are these connected? Guanyuan how are these connected? Qiuxu how are these connected?

Sources

World Health Organization. WHO Standard Acupuncture Point Locations in the Western Pacific Region. Manila: WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, 2008. (Location.)
Focks C, ed. Atlas of Acupuncture. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2008. (Locating method and actions.)

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