What Rugen does
Rugen 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 breasts
- Regulates Qi in the chest
Location
Four cun measured from the landmark shown in the diagram and the location text, on the mammillary line, 4 cun lateral to the anterior midline.
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 half a 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
- Coughing Mastitis Breast pain Breast lumps Breast swelling Low milk supply Breast hardness Clogged milk ducts Shortness of breath Difficulty swallowing Difficult breastfeeding Premenstrual breast distension Feeling of oppression of the chest
Point classifications
| Classification | Value |
|---|---|
| Channel | Meridian |
Classical record
The classical record summarises the classical use of this point without quoting a passage in full.
classical record
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: the reference marks it as a dangerous 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 Rugen do in skin practice?
It is used where the skin picture includes coughing mastitis breast pain breast lumps breast swelling low milk supply breast hardness clogged milk ducts shortness of breath difficulty swallowing difficult breastfeeding premenstrual breast distension feeling of oppression of the chest, always as part of a combination chosen for the pattern.
How is it needled?
45° (Oblique). Standard depth 0.3 - 0.5 cun. De qi: Local distension and soreness radiating around the breast area. Some patients may feel the sensation spreading toward the nipple or into the chest cavity. Due to the shallow needling depth required, strong deqi manipulation should be avoided.