What Ligou does
Ligou 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
- Invigorates Liver Qi
- Clears Damp-Heat from the genitourinary system
Location
On the medial lower leg, five cun above the tip of the medial malleolus, on the medial side and behind the medial crest of the tibia. Surface landmarks are used rather than measurements alone, and the written position here is the authoritative description for needling.
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: 45 degrees, oblique Depth: Standard depth half a to one cun. Direction: Needle in the direction the location describes.
Moxibustion
Moxibustion is used with the same restrictions as needling at this point.
Skin uses
Ligou is the Luo-connecting point of the Liver channel on the medial lower leg, recorded to invigorate Liver Qi and clear Damp-Heat from the genitourinary system. The Luo connection and the Damp-Heat action are the indirect basis for a skin reading: where a damp, itchy picture is understood as coming from constrained Liver Qi and lower-burner Damp-Heat, the recorded action is what supports considering the point. Its indications list genital itching and sores in a genitourinary context, not a developed skin rationale. No skin-specific classical indication is recorded for the point, so this 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 |
|---|---|
| Classical groups | Luo-Connecting Point |
Classical record
Foot Jueyin's Luo-connecting vessel is named Ligou.
Classical citation for this point.
Treats sudden hernia with lower abdominal swelling, intermittent severe lower abdominal pain, difficult urination like retention, frequent belching with fear and palpitations, defi
Classical citation for this 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: 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.
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 Ligou do in skin practice?
It is chosen when the skin picture sits alongside itching, vulvar or genital sores, hernial-type swelling and pain, testicular pain or swelling, vaginal itching or discharge, abdominal masses or lower abdominal pain. In practice it is combined with points that address the same pattern rather than used on its own.
How is it needled?
The needle goes in obliquely or transversely depending on the direction intended, with a standard depth around half to one cun. De Qi is felt as local distension and soreness, and when the needle is directed proximally it influences the channel upward. A practitioner chooses the angle and depth for the individual rather than by routine.
Is it safe?
The great saphenous vein passes behind this point, so the needle is not directed into the vessel. Strong stimulation is used cautiously in pregnancy because the point influences the lower abdomen, and the skin over the area is checked before needling. Any patient on anticoagulant treatment or with a bleeding tendency needs the practitioner told first.