GB4

Hanyan

Star

頷厭 (Hànyàn) — Jaw Serenity

Gallbladder channel · point 4

Not yet clinically reviewed

Meeting point of the Gallbladder, Stomach and Triple Energiser channels

Traditionally used for

Headaches
Dizziness
Eye health
Ears & hearing
Nerves & recovery

Location

On the head, within the temporal hairline, at the junction of the upper quarter and lower three-quarters of the curved line connecting ST8 and GB7.

How to locate: With the patient seated or side-lying, find ST8 at the corner of the forehead hairline and GB7 in the temporal hairline level with the ear apex, and trace the curved line between them; the point is a quarter of the way down from ST8 (midway between ST8 and GB5), and the muscle moves under the finger when the patient clenches or chews.

Regional anatomy: Skin and subcutaneous tissue, then the temporal fascia and temporalis muscle.

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

Body map, front: GB4 · Head & face — Fig. — GB4 · Head & face After Albinus, 1747

The skull, from the front — Gray's Anatomy plate — The skull, from the front Gray's Anatomy, 1918

3D view

3D view not available for this point: its position on the 3D model couldn't be checked against its location text, so it is not shown. The 2D maps above show it.

Needling

Cited needling

Transverse insertion

Depth 0.5–1.5 cun

skindeeper

Like all points within the hairline it may be needled in any direction — towards where the pain radiates, or through-needled to other head points — into the loose layer next to the skull rather than shallowly.

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. 424 Supports: techniques (names this point)

Site notes · not cited

Depth: 0.3–0.5 cun

Angle: Transverse

Functions

Expels wind, clears heat and relieves migraine
Benefits the eyes and ears
Activates the channel

Indications

Migraine and temporal headachedizzinesstinnitusred and painful eyesepilepsy

Combinations Using This Point

Xuanlu and Hanyan

Xuanlu and Hanyan, two neighbouring Gallbladder points in the temporal hairline, paired for tinnitus, deafness, one-sided headache and dizziness.

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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