What Neiguan does
Neiguan 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 Qi and Blood in the chest
- Calms the Mind
- Subdues Rebellious Stomach Qi Invigorate Liver Qi
Location
Two cun measured from the landmark shown in the diagram and the location text, above Daling P-7 on the transverse crease of the wrist, between the tendons of palmaris longus and flexor carpi radialis muscle.
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. Find Daling P-7 first, in the middle of the wrist crease between the tendons, then measure two cun up the forearm from that crease using the patient's own proportions. Ask the patient to make a fist, which makes the tendons of palmaris longus and flexor carpi radialis stand out, and place the point between the two tendons at that height. Jianshi P-5 lies between the same tendons, one cun nearer the elbow.
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
Moxibustion is recommended here for five to fifteen minutes. It is used when the chest feels cold or tight and the pattern is one of deficiency, and the reference advises against scarring moxa at this location because of the tendons and the nerve beneath them.
Cupping
The classical records cupping at Neiguan as questionable. The forearm is narrow and the tendons and median nerve lie immediately under the skin, so suction over the point is not part of the usual approach. Where cupping is wanted for the chest, it is placed on the upper back instead.
Skin uses
Neiguan is the Luo-connecting point of the Pericardium, recorded to invigorate Qi and Blood in the chest, calm the Mind, subdue rebellious Stomach Qi and invigorate Liver Qi. Its skin relevance is indirect and pattern-based: where a skin picture is described as worsening with stress and emotional agitation, the recorded action of settling the Mind and moving constrained Qi is the traditional reasoning that supports considering it alongside the pattern. The classical indications concern the chest and heart, not the skin. No skin-specific classical indication is recorded for the point, and the reasoning above is therefore indirect, 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
The root of hand jueyin pericardium meridian is located 2 cun behind palm, between two tendons.
Classical citation for this point.
For chest and hypochondrium, seek Neiguan
Classical citation for this point.
Needling Neiguan restores consciousness and relieves pain in the heart; the reducing method is used for acute cardiac pain and the reinforcing method for long-standing cases.
Zhen Jiu Da Cheng (Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion), as recorded in the classical literature.
Among the four command points of the song, later authors added Neiguan as a fifth, giving it charge of the chest and the rib side.
Si Zong Xue Ge (Song of the Four Command Points), later expanded to five, as recorded in the classical literature.
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; a nerve runs in the deeper layer; avoid overstimulation. Needle with care, adjust depth to the patient's build, and modify or avoid the point where a flag applies. The median nerve passes directly beneath this point, so a needle that produces sharp electric pain running into the fingers has touched the nerve and should be withdrawn slightly. Depth is kept to one cun, and rough or prolonged manipulation is avoided for the same reason. Strong stimulation is not used in pregnancy, particularly in the first months, and scarring moxibustion is not recommended over this area. Chest pain that is severe, crushing or radiating is a medical emergency, with acupuncture at most a support alongside that care.
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 Neiguan 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 do I find Neiguan?
Locate Daling P-7 in the middle of the wrist crease, between the tendons, then measure two cun up the forearm from the crease. Ask the patient to make a fist so that the tendons of palmaris longus and flexor carpi radialis stand out, and place the point between them at that height. Jianshi P-5 is between the same two tendons, one cun nearer the elbow.
Is Neiguan safe in pregnancy?
The reference advises caution rather than prohibition, especially in early pregnancy, because the point moves blood and strong stimulation is not wanted at that time. A practitioner would reduce the intensity or choose another point. Separately, the median nerve lies directly beneath the point, so sharp pain into the fingers means the needle is withdrawn slightly.