What Taichong does
Taichong 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
- Subdues Liver Yang
- Clears Interior Wind
- Invigorates Liver Qi
- Clears Dampness
- Invigorates Blood and regulates menstruation
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. Start at Xingjian LIV-2 and slide a finger along the groove between the first and second metatarsal bones, moving towards the ankle. The point sits where that groove is at its widest and deepest. To confirm the spot, feel beyond it: the groove narrows and becomes shallower again as you continue towards the ankle, so the point is the last broad dip before the channel rises.
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 at Taichong for five to ten minutes. The reference notes that it can follow needling to strengthen the result, particularly in the genitourinary and damp patterns, where warmth supports the clearing action rather than competing with it.
Cupping
The classical records cupping here as questionable. The foot is small, bony and close to the surface vessels, so a cup is difficult to seat and adds little that needling does not already do.
Gua sha
Recorded as questionable in the reference. The dorsum of the foot has little flesh over the metatarsals and the dorsalis pedis pulse lies nearby, so scraping across the point is not part of the standard approach.
Skin uses
Taichong is the Yuan-source and Shu-stream point of the Liver channel, recorded to subdue Liver Yang, clear interior Wind, invigorate Liver Qi and Blood and clear Dampness. Its skin relevance is indirect and pattern-level: the Liver role in keeping Qi moving, and the Wind said to arise when Qi or Blood is unsettled, are the traditional reasons for considering it where a stress-linked or moving itch picture is described. The classical passages describe the Liver storing Blood and a range of internal disorders, not the skin. The point has no skin-specific classical indication recorded, so the rationale above stays indirect and is 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 | Earth-Tu |
| Transporting type | Stream-Shu Point |
| Mother-child role | Child (Reducing) |
| Classical groups | Yuan-Source Point |
Classical record
Taichong is the Shu point where the Foot Jueyin Liver channel pours. The Liver stores Blood; when a woman's Taichong pulse is full, menstruation flows. Taichong is also the Yuan-Source point of the Nine Needles Twelve Originals - where the essence of the five Zang organs concentrates - hence the name 'Great Surge.'
Classical citation for this point.
The liver channel is the foot jueyin; its shu stream point is Taichong, where the qi of the channel flows and can be reached.
Ling Shu (Spiritual Pivot), first chapter, 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; 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. The dorsalis pedis artery runs close to this point, and its pulse can usually be felt in the hollow, so palpate first and angle the needle away from the vessel. If the needle produces a sharp shooting sensation the tip has met a nerve and should be withdrawn a little before continuing. Strong stimulation is avoided in pregnancy because the point moves liver qi and blood so effectively, and a point that is markedly tender often signals liver qi stagnation, which calls for a lighter touch rather than harder needling.
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 Taichong 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.
Is it safe?
Avoid the dorsalis pedis artery pulse, which lies close to the point. Use caution with strong stimulation during pregnancy, as this point strongly moves Liver Qi and Blood. Not typically contraindicated but reduce stimulation intensity in pregnant patients. The point may be tender in patients with significant Liver Qi stagnation - adjust needling technique accordingly.
Why is Taichong called the Great Surge?
The name is taken from the penetrating vessel, Chong Mai, which the point shares. The classical explanation recorded in the tradition describes Taichong as the stream point where the foot jueyin channel pours, and as the source point where the essence of the five zang gathers. The image is of water surging through a narrow place, and the point is understood as the spot where the liver channel's influence rises strongly enough to be felt.
Can Taichong be used during pregnancy?
The reference does not forbid it but advises reducing stimulation, because the point moves liver qi and blood strongly and vigorous stimulation is avoided in pregnancy. The decision belongs to a practitioner who can assess the case. This page is educational and does not describe self-treatment.
How do I find Taichong?
Find Xingjian LIV-2 first, then run a finger along the groove between the first and second metatarsal bones towards the ankle. The point is where the groove is widest and deepest. Beyond it the groove narrows and shallows again, which confirms you have not gone past the spot.