What Changqiang does
Changqiang is treated here as a practical point rather than a curiosity: where it sits, how it is needled, what the tradition says it does, and the skin conditions in this database that name it.
Actions
- Regulates Governing and Directing Vessels
- Regulates the two lower orifices
- Calms the Mind
- Removes Dampness
Location
The written location is summarised from the classical record; use the landmark named there together with the diagram.
How to find it
Find the bony landmark first, then feel for the hollow or tender spot the location describes. The point is usually sensitive when pressed. From the tip of the coccyx, palpate with gentle pressure toward the anus; Changqiang sits midway between the two, on the midline.
Deqi
De qi at this point is felt as local distension, heaviness or aching, and may travel a short way along the channel.
A cun is a proportional body measurement, not a fixed length: one cun is about the width of the thumb at the knuckle, 1.5 cun about two finger widths, and 3 cun about the width of four fingers. On an average adult one cun is roughly one inch, but it scales with the person, which is why the texts measure in cun rather than centimetres.
Technique
Needling
Angle: 45 degrees, oblique Depth: Standard depth half a to one cun. Direction: Needle in the direction the location describes.
Moxibustion
Moxibustion is used where the pattern is cold or deficient, in short sessions.
Skin uses
Changqiang sits at the sacral and gluteal region and is classed as the Luo-connecting and entry point of the Governing Vessel, with the recorded actions of regulating the two lower orifices and removing Dampness. Its location and Dampness action give the only traditional basis for a skin reading: lesions in the sacral and gluteal folds are sometimes considered alongside it because of the local area and the damp quality recorded for the point. The classical uses centre on urination, defecation and haemorrhoids rather than on the skin. Since no skin-specific classical indication is recorded for it, what follows is an indirect reading, not trial evidence.
No skin-specific classical indication is recorded for this point. The rationale above is an indirect, traditional reading of the point, not a promise of benefit.
Point classifications
| Classification | Value |
|---|---|
| Classical groups | Luo-Connecting Point Entry Point |
Classical record
Moxibustion at Changqiang and Chengshan is most marvelous for hemorrhoids.
Classical citation for this point.
Moxibustion at Changqiang and Chengshan is most marvellous for haemorrhoids.
Yu Long Fu (Jade Dragon Ode)
Changqiang and Shenzhu treat children's fright epilepsy.
Zhen Jiu Zi Yao Jing (Needling and Moxibustion Resource Scripture)
Safety
Who should treat this point
Acupuncture and moxibustion are practitioner procedures. This page is educational and is not a guide to self-treatment.
Caution
Safety flags: the reference marks it as a dangerous point. Needle with care, adjust depth to the patient's build, and modify or avoid the point where a flag applies. The needle must not pass through into the rectum, which would risk infection. It is inserted obliquely upward along the anterior surface of the coccyx, never deeply or perpendicularly, with sterile technique because of the proximity to the anal region, and the patient is prepared and draped properly for a sensitive area.
Deficiency and constitution
In a depleted patient the point is worked gently and briefly.
Before treatment
Educational reference only. Skin that is spreading, painful, blistering or accompanied by fever needs medical assessment.
Modern evidence and safety
General references for acupuncture safety and skin evidence. They are not specific to this point, and they are not a claim that needling it treats any condition.
- Acupuncture-related adverse events: systematic review and meta-analyses of prospective clinical studies. BMJ Open, 2021. PMID: 34489268.
- Acupuncture for atopic dermatitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open, 2024. PMID: 39638592.
- Manual acupuncture for the treatment of chronic spontaneous urticaria: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Surgery, 2025. PMID: 40696933.
- Acupuncture in Dermatology: An Update to a Systematic Review. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2021. PMID: 32955916.
Evidence note
No controlled trial of this treatment in skin conditions was identified for this entry. What is described here rests on the classical and later materia medica record and on traditional clinical use, not on controlled trial evidence, and it is not a prediction of benefit. Where skin-specific research does exist it is linked above.
Common questions
What does Changqiang do in skin practice?
It is used where the skin picture includes the conditions it is used with, always as part of a combination chosen for the pattern.
How is it needled?
45° (Oblique). Standard depth 0.5 - 1.0 cun. De qi: Local distention and soreness radiating to the anus. Some patients may experience a sensation extending upward along the spine or a feeling of warmth spreading through the perineal region.
Why is Changqiang called the meeting of the two vessels?
It is the first point of the Governing vessel and the point where the Governing and Directing vessels meet, so it regulates both extraordinary vessels and clears their obstructions. That is why it can influence the lower orifices, the Mind through the Governing vessel's ascent to the Brain, and Interior Wind.
How is Changqiang used in skin practice?
It is chosen when a perianal or lower-body damp or itchy eruption travels with bowel or urinary disturbance, or when Wind-Heat and Damp-Heat are moving inward. It is not a routine skin point, so a practitioner uses it only after the whole pattern has been assessed.