ST18

Rugen

Star

乳根 (Rǔgēn) — Root of the Breast

Stomach channel · point 18

Not yet clinically reviewed

Traditionally used for

Cough & breathing
Digestion
Menstrual & women's health
Heart & circulation

Cautions & contraindications

No deep needling

Location

On the chest, in the fifth intercostal space, 4 cun lateral to the anterior midline — directly below the nipple in men; in women, at the midpoint of the inferior crease of the breast.

How to locate: In men, count down one intercostal space from the nipple to the fifth space, 4 cun from the midline, often at the lower edge of pectoralis major. In women, find the fifth space by counting down from the second rib at the sternal angle and follow it laterally, noting its upward slope, to the midpoint of the inferior crease of the breast.

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

Body map, front: ST18 · Chest — Fig. — ST18 · 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

Techniques — the source gives these as alternatives:

Transverse-oblique insertion — laterally or medially along the intercostal space

Depth 0.5–1 cun

skindeeper
Transverse insertion — superiorly or inferiorly along the channel

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

	Underweight	Normal	Overweight
Men	11.9	17.8	22.7
Women	16.9	24.4	29.2

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. 143 Supports: techniques (names this point)

Site notes · not cited

No deep needling

Depth: 0.3–0.5 cun

Angle: Oblique or transverse along the intercostal space

⚠ Cautions: Pneumothorax risk on deep perpendicular insertion.

Functions

Benefits the breasts and promotes lactation
Moves blood and unbinds the chest
Regulates Lung qi and descends rebellious qi

Indications

Insufficient lactationmastitis and breast paincough and asthmachest painhiccup

Clinical Notes

The principal point for insufficient lactation, usually with SI1 and CV17.

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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