What Ququan does
Ququan 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
- Benefits the Bladder, genitals and Uterus
- Clears Dampness from the Lower Burner Invigorate Blood and regulate menstruation
- Nourishes Liver Blood
Location
One cun measured from the landmark shown in the diagram and the location text, on the medial aspect of the knee join.
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: Depth depends on the build of the patient. Direction: Needle in the direction the location describes.
Moxibustion
Moxibustion is used where the pattern is cold or deficient, in short sessions.
Skin uses
Ququan is the He-sea point of the Liver channel, recorded to benefit the bladder, genitals and uterus, clear Dampness from the lower burner, invigorate Blood and nourish Liver Blood. The recorded action of nourishing Liver Blood is the clearest traditional basis for an indirect skin reading, because Blood is described as what moistens the surface, and its Dampness action is relevant where a lower-burner picture is damp. No classical passage is recorded for the point in the library, and its indications are genitourinary rather than skin. Because no skin-specific classical indication is recorded, the reasoning 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 | Water-Shui |
| Transporting type | Sea-He Point |
| Mother-child role | Mother (Tonifying) |
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. 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 Ququan do in skin practice?
It is used where the skin picture includes impotence amenorrhea infertility turbid urine genitalia pain painful period umbilical pain vulvar itching abdominal masses vagina discharge genitalia swollen genitalia itching urinary retention burning urination urinary difficulty persistent erection, always as part of a combination chosen for the pattern.
How is it needled?
90° (Perpendicular). De qi: Deqi typically felt as distension and soreness at the medial knee, often radiating up the medial thigh. Some patients are quite sensitive at this point due to its location near an erogenous zone, requiring gentle but firm technique.
Is it safe?
The great saphenous vein runs nearby; avoid damaging it during needling. If pulsation is felt during insertion, stop and redirect the needle. Some patients are highly sensitive at this point - use gentle, quick insertion technique. The area near the popliteal crease contains the medial superior genicular artery.