What Zhouliao does
Zhouliao 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
- Removes Obstructions from the Channel
Location
One cun measured from the landmark shown in the diagram and the location text, on the anterior border of the humerus, 1 cun proximal to Quchi LI-11 on the lateral end of the cubital crease.
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
Zhouliao is a Large Intestine point at the elbow, recorded to remove obstruction from the channel, and its classical record only fixes the depression on the outer aspect of the elbow bone. The skin reading is local and modest: the point is sometimes considered where lesions sit around the elbow, on the traditional reasoning that a local point influences circulation in its area. Its general indications are elbow pain, stiffness and upper arm numbness, with no skin use recorded. With no skin-specific classical indication recorded for it, the rationale relies on traditional inference, 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 |
|---|---|
| Channel | Meridian |
Classical record
Located in the depression on the outer aspect of the large bone of the elbow.
Classical citation for this point.
On the outer aspect of the large bone of the elbow in a depression, parallel with Tianjing (SJ-10), about 1 cun 4 fen apart.
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 Zhouliao 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 is it needled?
90° (Perpendicular) / 45° (Oblique). Standard depth 0.5 - 1.0 cun. De qi: Local distention and soreness around the elbow. The sensation may radiate along the arm toward the forearm or shoulder.
Is it safe?
The radial collateral artery runs nearby. Exercise care to avoid blood vessels. The radial nerve is in proximity - firm palpation before needling is recommended to locate bone landmarks accurately. When treating tennis elbow, oblique insertion along the anterior border of the humerus (1.0 - 1.5 cun) may be used for enhanced local effect.