What Jiache does
Jiache 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
- Channel regulation
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.
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
Jiache lies on the jaw and cheek, and its recorded action is simply channel regulation, with its general uses centred on the jaw, teeth and face. The skin reading is local and modest: because the point sits in the jaw and cheek area, traditional practice sometimes considers it where lesions appear in that region, on the reasoning that local points influence local circulation. Nothing in its record connects it to a named skin disease. The point has no skin-specific classical indication recorded, so the rationale above stays indirect and is 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 | Sun Si Miao Ghost Point |
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: blood vessels lie close to the point; a nerve runs in the deeper layer. 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 Jiache 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) / 45° (Oblique) / 10-15° (Transverse). Standard depth 0.3 - 0.5 cun. De qi: Local distension and soreness in the masseter muscle region. The sensation may spread throughout the cheek and toward the ear or lower jaw. When threading toward ST-4, a sensation may travel along the needle path.
Is it safe?
The facial nerve and branches of the masseter artery and vein pass through this area. Use gentle manipulation. When threading needles toward ST-4 (Dicang), ensure proper technique to avoid bruising. Avoid aggressive stimulation in patients with TMJ inflammation.