PC1

Tianchi

Star

天池 (Tiānchí) — Celestial Pool

Pericardium channel · point 1

Not yet clinically reviewed

Meeting point of the Pericardium, Liver, Gallbladder and Triple Energiser channels

Traditionally used for

Cough & breathing
Menstrual & women's health

Cautions & contraindications

No deep needling

Location

On the chest, in the fourth intercostal space, 5 cun lateral to the anterior midline (in men, about 1 cun lateral to the nipple).

How to locate: Count down from the sternal angle (level with the second rib) to the fourth intercostal space; in men the nipple usually lies in this space. The point is in the fourth space 5 cun from the midline, about 1 cun lateral to the nipple, remembering that the space rises slightly as it runs laterally.

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

Body map, front: PC1 · Chest — Fig. — PC1 · Chest After Albinus, 1747

The thorax, from in front — Gray's Anatomy plate — The thorax, from in 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.

The lung is not drawn: the anatomical model used here does not include it as a surface. This is a limit of the model, not of the anatomy. The pneumothorax risk above still applies.

Needling

Cited needling

⚠ Pneumothorax

Transverse-oblique insertion — posteriorly along the intercostal space

Depth 0.5–1 cun

skindeeper

Reported mean safe needling depth, mm — Taiwanese adults (CT)

	Underweight	Normal	Overweight
Men	11.8	22.5	26.4
Women	18.9	28.6	33.4

CT-measured mean safe needling depths from Taiwanese adults, by sex and body size (Lin et al. 2013); population-specific and a guide only — adjust to the patient in front of you.

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 (3)

Lin JG, Chou PC, Chu HY. An exploration of the needling depth in acupuncture: the safe needling depth and the needling depth of clinical efficacy. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013;2013:740508 — Tables 7 (male) and 8 (female), chest acupoints Supports: safe depth (measured)
World Health Organization. Guidelines on basic training and safety in acupuncture. Geneva: WHO; 1999. WHO/EDM/TRM/99.1 — Section II §5.2 (Lung and pleura), p. 25 Supports: pneumothorax (names this region)
Deadman P, Al-Khafaji M, Baker K. A Manual of Acupuncture. Hove: Journal of Chinese Medicine Publications; 1998 — p. 370 Supports: techniques (names this point)

Site notes · not cited

No deep needling

Depth: 0.2–0.4 cun

Angle: Oblique or transverse

⚠ Cautions: Do not needle perpendicularly or deeply — pneumothorax risk.

Functions

Unbinds the chest and regulates qi
Descends rebellious qi
Clears heat and transforms phlegm in the chest
Benefits the breast, promotes lactation and dissipates nodules

Indications

Chest oppression and painmastitis and breast lumpsinsufficient lactationcough and asthmaaxillary swelling and scrofula

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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