What Jiexi does
Jiexi is a Stomach point at the front of the ankle. This page gives its position, its needling, the actions tradition assigns to it, and the skin cases here that use it.
Actions
- Clears Stomach Heat
- Calms the Mind
- Removes Obstructions from the Channel
Location
On the front of the ankle where the dorsum of the foot meets the leg, in the gap between the extensor digitorum and extensor hallucis longus tendons, at about the height of the tip of the lateral malleolus.
How to find it
Find the bony landmark, then work along it for the hollow that the written location names. The point is generally tender to firm pressure.
Deqi
De qi is a soreness and distension around the ankle that can spread through the whole joint and, on an oblique line, along the top of the foot towards the toes.
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
Moxibustion suits patterns that are cold or deficient, in short sessions.
Skin uses
Jiexi is the river point of the Stomach channel at the ankle, recorded to clear Stomach Heat, calm the Mind and remove channel obstruction. Its classical record mentions facial puffiness and swelling of the face and ankle, which gives a modest traditional basis for an indirect surface reading where Heat and swelling are part of the picture, though those terms are general signs rather than a skin indication. The point is also locally placed at the front of the ankle. No skin-specific classical indication is recorded for the point, and the link is an indirect rationale, 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 | Fire-Huo |
| Transporting type | River-Jing Point |
| Mother-child role | Mother (Tonifying) |
Classical record
Governs wind, facial puffiness, dark complexion, counterflow Qi surging upward, abdominal distension, difficulty with bowel movements, fright and convulsions, knee and leg swelling, cramping, dizziness, headache, mania, vexation of the heart, and sorrowful weeping.
Classical citation for this point.
Safety
Who should treat this point
Acupuncture and moxibustion are practitioner procedures. The material here is educational, not a self-treatment guide.
Caution
Vessels lie close to the point, a nerve runs in the deeper layer, and it is counted among the points that need extra care. Needle with care, set the depth by the patient's build, and change or leave out the point where one of those applies.
Deficiency and constitution
Where the patient is depleted, work the point gently and briefly.
Before treatment
Educational material only. Skin that is spreading, painful or blistering, or that comes with a 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 Jiexi do in skin practice?
In this skin collection it appears in hot, restless pictures: a red face or red eyes, a sore throat, thirst, anxiety and weeping that will not settle, with epigastric or frontal headache and abdominal fullness. It is always one part of a combination chosen for the pattern.
How is it needled?
It is needled perpendicular at 90 degrees, or obliquely at 45 degrees, to a standard depth of 0.5 to 0.8 cun. The response is soreness and distension at the ankle which can fill the whole joint. Aimed obliquely towards SP-5 or GB-40 the sensation may travel along the top of the foot, and some patients feel a dull ache that reaches the toes.
Is it safe?
The anterior tibial artery and vein and the deep peroneal nerve pass deep to the point. It is not classed as a dangerous point, but depth and angle still have to be chosen to clear those structures. An injured or inflamed ankle is tender, and when the needle is aimed obliquely towards SP-5 or GB-40 it should not be driven too deep.