What Daling does
Daling 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
- Calms the Mind
- Clears Heat
- Harmonises the Stomach
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. Find the wrist crease and look for the two tendons in the middle of the wrist; pressing the fingertips together makes them stand out. The point lies in the depression between the tendons of palmaris longus and flexor carpi radialis. If only one tendon is visible it is the flexor carpi radialis, which runs to the index finger, and PC-7 is on its ulnar side.
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: 90 degrees, perpendicular Depth: Standard depth half a to half a 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
- Fear Thirst Anxiety Sadness Insomnia Red eyes Vomiting Furuncles Carbuncles Hand Eczema Palpitations Restlessness Manic behaviour Epigastric pain
Point classifications
| Classification | Value |
|---|---|
| Five phase | Earth-Tu |
| Transporting type | Stream-Shu Point |
| Mother-child role | Child (Reducing) |
| Classical groups | Yuan-Source Point Sun Si Miao Ghost Point |
Classical record
Treats febrile disease without sweating, heat in the palm, contracture and pain of the elbow and arm, axillary swelling, incessant laughter, vexation, the Heart suspended as if hungry, Heart pain with palm heat, alternating sadness and crying with fright and fear, red and yellow eyes, bloody urine, uncontrollable vomiting, manic speech without joy, throat obstruction, dry mouth, fever with headache, shortness of breath, chest and rib pain, and scabies and skin lesions.
Zhen Jiu Da Cheng (Great Compendium of Acupuncture)
Listed as the fourth Ghost Point, Gui Xin or Ghost Heart, used for mental disorders and what the tradition called spiritual possession.
Qian Jin Yao Fang (Thousand Gold Prescriptions), Sun Simiao
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.
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 Daling do in skin practice?
It is used where the skin picture includes fear thirst anxiety sadness insomnia red eyes vomiting furuncles carbuncles hand eczema palpitations restlessness manic behaviour epigastric pain, always as part of a combination chosen for the pattern.
How is it needled?
90° (Perpendicular). Standard depth 0.3 - 0.5 cun. De qi: Local distention and soreness at the wrist. A characteristic numb or electric sensation extending toward the fingertips is common due to proximity to the median nerve. Once this electrical sensation is elicited, further needle manipulation should be avoided to prevent nerve damage.
How is Daling different from Shenmen?
Both calm the Mind and treat insomnia, palpitations and agitation, and the classical texts say PC-7 is the more useful of the two in women while HE-7 suits men. In practice the choice depends on the whole picture: PC-7 also clears Heat and harmonises the Stomach, so it is favoured where redness, thirst, hand eczema or epigastric upset accompany the emotional state.
Why does needling Daling give an electric feeling?
The median nerve runs directly beneath the point, so needling commonly produces a numb or electric sensation radiating to the fingertips. That sensation is expected, but once it is felt the needle is not manipulated further, because continued stimulation could injure the nerve.