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BL67

Zhiyin

Star

至陰 (Zhìyīn) — Reaching Yin

Bladder channel · point 67

Not yet clinically reviewed

Jing-Well pointMetal pointMetal point of the Bladder channelTonification (mother) point

Traditionally used for

  • Headaches
  • Eye health
  • Nose & throat
  • Urinary & fluids

Cautions & contraindications

  • Pregnancy
  • No moxibustion

Location

On the lateral side of the little toe, 0.1 finger-cun proximal to the lateral corner of the nail, where a line along the lateral border of the nail meets a line through its base.

How to locate: Draw one line along the lateral border of the little toenail and another along its base; the point is where they meet, about 0.1 cun from the corner of the nail.

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

Body map, back: BL67 · Foot
Fig. — BL67 · Foot After Albinus, 1747
Body map, back: BL67 · Foot

BL67 · Foot · Albinus, Tabulae sceleti et musculorum, 1747

Bones of the foot, dorsal — Gray's Anatomy plate
Bones of the foot, dorsal Gray's Anatomy, 1918 Marker hidden while its position on this plate is re-checked.
Bones of the foot, dorsal — Gray's Anatomy plate

Bones of the foot, dorsal · Gray's Anatomy, 1918

3D view

3D view not available for this point: its position can't be carried onto the 3D model reliably (it failed a placement check). The 2D maps above show it.

Needling

Cited needling

  • Pregnancy: contraindicated

Techniques — the source gives these as alternatives:

  1. Perpendicular insertion
    Depth 0.1–0.2 cun
    skindeeper
  2. Oblique insertion — directed proximally
    Depth 0.1–0.2 cun
    skindeeper
  3. Prick to bleed

Traditionally forbidden in pregnancy (at least before 37 weeks). Carr (2015) reviewed the trials and found no objective evidence of harm from needling these points; the prohibition is traditional, not evidence-based.

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 (2)
  1. Carr DJ. The safety of obstetric acupuncture: forbidden points revisited. Acupunct Med. 2015;33(5):413-419 — Identifying sources of concern and relevant outcomes Supports: pregnancy (names this point)
  2. Deadman P, Al-Khafaji M, Baker K. A Manual of Acupuncture. Hove: Journal of Chinese Medicine Publications; 1998 — p. 325 Supports: techniques (names this point)

Site notes · not cited

  • Pregnancy
  • No moxibustion
Depth: 0.1 cun
Angle: Shallow perpendicular, or prick to bleed
Moxibustion: Moxibustion at BL67 is the classical — and the best evidenced — treatment for turning a breech fetus, typically from around 32 to 34 weeks.
⚠ Cautions: Needling is contraindicated in pregnancy other than at term; moxibustion for breech presentation is the exception and should be supervised.

Functions

  • Turns the fetus and promotes delivery
  • Expels wind and clears the head
  • Benefits the eyes

Indications

Malposition of the fetus (breech presentation)difficult labour and retained placentaheadache, particularly occipitalnasal congestion and nosebleedeye paindifficult urination

Balance Method partners

Under Dr. Tan's six systems, BL67 at the foot balances these channels at the regions its segment images.

Classical calendar method · 子午流注

When the tables open BL67

The hours Zi Wu Liu Zhu names this point at, by method. Times are the double-hour's start in UTC.

  • 壬寅 03:00–05:00 Na Jia Fa, 壬-day sequence · Jing-Well (井)

    「壬日寅時起至陰」

    Next: Sun 25 Oct, 03:00

  • 酉 17:00–19:00 Na Zi Fa, BL channel · reinforce (補)

    「補用酉時，至陰，為井金」

    Next: Fri 16 Oct, 17:00

A classical reference, not a recommendation: the tables say when the method opens this point, not that it is the point to needle. Open points by the hour →

Clinical Notes

The moxa-for-breech indication is one of the few acupuncture techniques to have been repeatedly studied in controlled trials.

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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