What Fuliu does
Fuliu 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
- Resolves Dampness
- Tonifies Kidneys
- Regulates sweating
- Opens water passages and resolves Oedema
- Strengthens the lower back
Location
Two cun measured from the landmark shown in the diagram and the location text, above Taixi KID-3, on the anterior border of Achilles tendon.
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. Begin at Taixi KID-3, which sits in the hollow between the medial malleolus and the Achilles tendon, level with the tip of the malleolus. Measure 2 cun straight up the leg from that hollow, keeping to the line along the front edge of the tendon, and feel for a soft depression there; that is Fuliu. The old texts describe the spot as the place where the channel's pulse can still be felt, and they separate it from Jiaoxin KID-8 immediately behind on a very practical rule: the front edge beside the bone is Fuliu, the back edge beside the sinew is Jiaoxin, with one sinew between them.
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 one cun. Direction: Needle in the direction the location describes.
Moxibustion
The reference particularly recommends moxibustion here and records 10 to 20 minutes. It makes moxa the method of choice for Kidney Yang deficiency, where the back is cold, the knees weak and the patient tired and chilled. For Kidney Yin deficiency with night sweats and a dry, hot quality it advises needling instead, since added warmth would intensify the deficiency Heat, so the choice of moxa follows the same Yang and Yin distinction as the choice of point.
Cupping
The reference marks cupping at Fuliu as questionable, so it is neither recommended nor ruled out. Two practical points follow. The space between the malleolus and the tendon is narrow and bony, so a cup seals poorly there and pulls on skin rather than on the point. Fuliu is also used mainly for deficiency and for the movement of fluids, which suction does not address, and where a practitioner wants to move stagnation in the calf the other points on the channel are the more usual choice.
Skin uses
Fuliu is the river point of the Kidney channel, recorded to resolve Dampness, tonify the Kidney, regulate sweating and open the water passages. The traditional reasoning for skin is indirect: sweating and fluid regulation belong to the surface, so where a picture is described as damp or sweating is disturbed, the recorded action is used to reason about the fluid layer rather than about a named disease. The classical citations describe its place among the five transporting points, not a skin use. 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 |
|---|---|
| Five phase | Metal-Jin |
| Transporting type | River-Jing Point |
| Mother-child role | Mother (Tonifying) |
Classical record
The Wood point of the Kidney wells up at Yongquan on the sole, gathers at Rangu as a spring, pools at Taixi as a stream, moves on to Fuliu as a river, and enters at Yingu as the sea.
Nan Jing Zheng Yi (Clarification of the Classic of Difficulties), as recorded in the reference
Gives Changyang, Fubai and Waiming as further names for the point, and places it on the Changyang branch of the Kidney channel.
Zhenjiu Jiayijing (Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion), as recorded in the reference
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: contraindicated or restricted in pregnancy; blood vessels lie close to the point; avoid overstimulation. Needle with care, adjust depth to the patient's build, and modify or avoid the point where a flag applies. The posterior tibial artery and vein pass through this area, so the reference asks for the needle to be angled with care rather than run straight through the vessel. In pregnancy the point is not forbidden outright, but the reference advises reduced stimulation because it has a strong influence on fluid metabolism and on Kidney function. Depth is kept within 0.5 to 1 cun, perpendicular, and this is not a place for vigorous manipulation or for repeated strong stimulation of a patient who is already depleted.
Deficiency and constitution
In a depleted patient the point is worked gently and briefly. For severe Kidney Yang deficiency the reference is explicit that strong stimulation waits until the body has been warmed with moxa, so the order of treatment matters. Moxa is the method that suits an empty, cold picture, while a plain needle is reserved for Yin deficiency, where the patient is dry and hot and warmth would add to the problem.
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 Fuliu 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?
90° (Perpendicular). Standard depth 0.5 - 1.0 cun. De qi: Local distention and soreness at the point, with possible numbness or electrical sensation radiating toward the sole of the foot. Some patients may feel the sensation ascending along the medial leg.
Is it safe?
Use caution during pregnancy - while not strictly contraindicated, reduced stimulation is advised as this point strongly influences fluid metabolism and Kidney function. Avoid strong stimulation in patients with severe Kidney Yang deficiency until the body is warmed with moxa first. The posterior tibial artery and vein run in this area, so angle the needle carefully.
Does Fuliu start sweating or stop it?
Both, depending on how it is worked. With Hegu LI-4 needled to reduce, it opens the surface and promotes sweating so that Wind-Cold can be driven out of the Exterior in the early stage of a cold. With Yinxi HE-6 needled to tonify, it stops sweating and is used for night sweats and spontaneous sweating. The method and the partner point decide the direction, not the point on its own.
Where exactly is Fuliu, and how does it differ from Jiaoxin?
Measure 2 cun straight up from Taixi KID-3, the hollow between the inner ankle bone and the Achilles tendon, and stay on the front edge of the tendon. The old texts separate Fuliu from Jiaoxin KID-8 by a simple rule: the depression on the front edge beside the bone is Fuliu, the one on the back edge beside the sinew is Jiaoxin, and one sinew lies between them.
Is Fuliu safe in pregnancy?
The reference does not forbid the point in pregnancy, but it asks for reduced stimulation, because Fuliu has a strong effect on fluid metabolism and on Kidney function. It also notes that the posterior tibial vessels pass through the area, so the needle is angled carefully and not driven straight through the pulse. Treatment in pregnancy belongs with a qualified practitioner in any case.