What Ermen does
Ermen 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
- Benefits ears
- Expels Wind
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. Start at the tragus, the small flap of cartilage in front of the ear canal, and find the notch at its upper edge. Ask the patient to open the mouth, then run a finger down the shallow sulcus between the cheek and the front of the ear. The hollow that deepens as the jaw moves is the point, level with the notch and slightly above the condyloid process of the mandible. Tinggong SI-19 sits in the middle of the same sulcus and Tinghui GB-2 below it, so all three can be marked in one pass.
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 recorded as questionable here, in the range of five to ten minutes where it is used at all. Older texts are stricter and forbid moxa outright at this point, allowing no more than a few cones if it is judged necessary. Where the ear is discharging, warmth is generally avoided, since adding heat to an inflamed canal does not help and the discharge needs assessment.
Cupping
Cupping is contraindicated. The point sits on the face in front of the ear, over the temporal artery and the jaw joint, and there is no surface here that takes suction without damage to thin skin and small vessels. Cupping for ear or head patterns is applied to the upper back and neck instead.
Gua sha
Gua sha is likewise contraindicated at this site. The skin over the temporomandibular joint and the superficial temporal artery is delicate, and scraping there risks bruising and soreness in a place that is already tender when the jaw is involved. Any work on the side of the head is better done with light pressure from a fingertip.
Skin uses
- Tinnitus Deafness Stiff neck Painful gums Ear discharge Eye deviation Lip stiffness Mouth deviation Swelling in the ears
Point classifications
| Classification | Value |
|---|---|
| Channel | Meridian |
Classical record
Ear Gate, located in front of the raised flesh at the ear notch, in the depression when the mouth is opened. Needle 0.3 cun, retain for three breaths, moxa three cones. The Xia Jing prohibits moxibustion; if moxibustion is appropriate for the condition, use no more than three cones.
Classical citation for this point.
The indications listed for the point include deafness, ringing in the ears, discharge from the ear, toothache, pain of the jaw and neck, and stiffness of the lips.
Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing, as recorded in the classical literature.
The triple burner channel passes into the ear and comes out in front of it, which is the anatomical reason a point at the front of the ear can treat the ear itself.
Ling Shu, on the pathway of the channel.
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. Two structures govern the technique. The superficial temporal artery runs across the area, so it is palpated first and the needle is kept off the pulse; the auriculotemporal nerve lies nearby, and a sharp shooting sensation towards the temple or the jaw means it has been approached. Insertion is shallow, no more than about half a cun and often oblique, with the mouth open so that the condyloid process is out of the way. A discharging ear is a matter for medical assessment before any needling.
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. Discharge, hearing loss that is new, severe ear pain with fever, or dizziness that does not settle all need examination before any needling. This page is educational and describes what practitioners do, not a routine for self treatment.
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 Ermen do in skin practice?
It is used where the skin picture includes tinnitus deafness stiff neck painful gums ear discharge eye deviation lip stiffness mouth deviation swelling in the ears, always as part of a combination chosen for the pattern.
How is it needled?
90° (Perpendicular) / 45° (Oblique). Standard depth 0.3 - 0.5 cun. De qi: Local distention and soreness around the ear, sometimes extending throughout the side of the face. The patient may feel pressure or fullness in the ear area during stimulation.
Why must the mouth be open during needling?
Opening the mouth slides the condyloid process of the jaw forward and uncovers the hollow where the point sits. With the mouth closed that bony process is in the way, and a needle can enter the joint capsule, which is painful and unnecessary. Patients can usually close the mouth again once the needle is in place.
Which other points sit beside it?
Tinggong SI-19 lies in the middle of the same sulcus and Tinghui GB-2 below it, with Ermen above. The three are treated as one family for ear trouble and are usually alternated rather than needled all at once, so that no single spot is irritated by repeated sessions.
Can it be used when the ear is discharging?
Only with care, and only after the discharge has been assessed. Ancient sources forbid moxibustion when there is pus, and modern practice treats a discharging ear as a reason for examination rather than for more local stimulation. Needling the area in that state risks spreading trouble and missing an infection that needs treatment.