What Rangu does
Rangu 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
- Cools the Blood and clears Empty-Heat
- Regulates the Kidneys
- Regulates the Lower Burner
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 one 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
Rangu is the Ying-spring point of the Kidney channel on the foot, recorded to cool the Blood, clear Empty-Heat, regulate the Kidneys and the lower burner. The Empty-Heat action is the indirect basis for a skin reading: where a dry, warm surface picture is understood as depleted Yin with empty heat, the recorded function of cooling the Blood and clearing that heat is what supports considering the point. Its recorded indications include night sweats, malar flush and genital itching rather than a skin use. Since no skin-specific classical indication is recorded for the point, 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 | Spring-Ying Point |
| Mother-child role | Child (Reducing) |
Classical record
Rangu is below the rangu bone (navicular).
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: 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 Rangu do in skin practice?
It is used where the skin picture includes dry mouth dry throat night sweat malar flush infertility five palm heat abdominal pain abdominal mass genitalia itching urinary difficulty irregular menstruation feeling of heat in the afternoon thirst without a desire to drink, always as part of a combination chosen for the pattern.
How is it needled?
90° (Perpendicular). Standard depth 0.3 - 0.8 cun. De qi: Distention and soreness at the point, often radiating toward the sole of the foot. Some patients may experience a spreading sensation along the medial arch.
Is it safe?
Be mindful of the medial plantar artery and medial tarsal artery branches in this area. Use shallow insertion and avoid aggressive manipulation. The medial plantar nerve runs nearby, so patients may experience sharp sensations if needled improperly. Not recommended for cupping or gua sha due to the bony, uneven terrain of the medial foot arch.