ACUPUNCTURE
Qi Men: TCM Acupoint Guide
QIMEN
Name
Qi Men (Qimen)
Location
On the mammillary line in the sixth intercostal space, 3.5 cun lateral to REN-14 Juque, 6 cun above the umbilicus.
Needling
- Oblique medial or lateral insertion, 0.5 to 1 cun.
- Caution: deep perpendicular or oblique insertion carries a substantial risk of causing a pneumothorax.
- Slanted insertion, 0.5 to 0.4 cun. Sensation: slight pain, sometimes extending to the back of the abdominal wall.
- Puncture obliquely, 0.3 to 0.5 cun.
- Moxibustion is applicable.
Command Functions
- Front-Mu point of the Liver
- Meeting point of the Tai Yin and Yin Wei channels
- Exit point
- Shokanten point of Absolute Yin
- Spirit point
Actions
- Facilitates the spreading of Liver Qi
- Regulates qi
- Promotes the function of the Liver and Gall Bladder
- Invigorates Blood
- Transforms and removes congealed Blood
- Disperses masses
- Cools Blood
- Expels Damp-Heat
- Relieves retention of food
- Harmonizes Liver and Stomach Qi
Indications
- Chest pain
- Nervousness
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea with vomiting
- Hard abdomen
- Shortness of breath
- Epigastric pain due to Cold
- Anorexia
- Swelling of the flanks
- Heat in the Blood
- Bloody stools
- Women's diseases
- Menstrual problems
- Trouble giving birth
- Postpartum problems
- Hypochondriac pain
- Hiccup
- Acid regurgitation
- Mastitis
- Depression
- Febrile diseases
- Insufficient lactation
- Belching
- Nausea
- Masses in the lateral costal region
- Much sighing
- Cutting pain of the Heart
- Distention and pain of the breast
- Agitation and Heat of the chest
- Cough
- Dyspnea
- Enlarged, hard abdomen with difficulty breathing
- Injury by Cold leading to Heat which enters the Blood chamber, the uterus
- Jaundice
- Gallstones
- Wasting and thirsting
- Running piglet qi
- Stiffness and pain of the head and neck
- Visual dizziness
- Frequent vomiting
- After a Cold attack, the patient presents with Heart pain and acid vomiting and cannot eat or drink; if he eats, there is watery vomiting
- Intense dyspnea preventing lying down or sleep
- Cholelithiasis
- Inguinal bubo, an enlarged and inflamed lymph gland
- Anuria
- Intolerable Heat in the pit of the Stomach
- Irregular menstruation
- Pain in the penis
- Raging anger
- Chaotic actions
- Lack of desire
- Lack of will
- Hypertension
- Abnormal thirst
- Both sides of the body painful and sore
- Intercostal neuralgia
- Hepatitis
- Hepatomegaly
- Cholecystitis
- Pleurisy
- Nervous dysfunction of the Stomach
- Distention around the ribs
- Tidal fevers
- Splenomegaly as a result of prolonged tidal fevers
- Failure to discharge the placenta
- Malarial disorders
- Pancreatitis
- Liver cirrhosis
- Hunger with no desire to eat
- Epigastric distention and pain due to Qi Stagnation
- Chest and hypogastric fullness, distention and pain
- Vomiting fluid after eating
- Sudden turmoil disorder
- Desire to eat despite difficult ingestion
- Abdominal distention with watery diarrhea
- Hardness of the epigastrium, hypogastrium and abdomen
- Manic raving
- Alternating chills and fever
- Uterine bleeding
- Red face
- Tetany
- Dry mouth
- Disordered speech at night
- Cholera
- Vomiting with yellow conjunctiva
- Intolerable chest pain with a ruddy, dry face and thirst
- Schistosomiasis with hepatic and splenic enlargement
- Chronic peritonitis
- Myocarditis
- Congestion of Blood in the chest
- Indigestion
- Sensation of malaise and Heat in the chest
Combinations
| Points | Indications |
|---|---|
| UB-17 Geshu, UB-18 Ganshu, ST-36 Zusanli (moxa) | Intercostal neuralgia |
| LIV-4 Zhongfeng, GB-34 Yanglingquan | Hepatitis |
| LIV-1 Dadun | Hard nodules and pain in the flanks |
| DU-1 Changqiang, REN-22 Tiantu, LU-4 Xiabai, PC-9 Zhongchong | Pain of the Heart with shortness of breath |
| ST-19 Burong | Stabbing pain of the Heart |
| UB-13 Feishu, LU-2 Yunmen, LU-1 Zhongfu, SP-1 Yinbai, UB-47 Hunmen, PC-7 Daling | Chest pain |
| ST-12 Quepen | Heat in the chest |
| PC-7 Daling | Chest pain due to injury by Cold |
| REN-12 Zhongwan, LI-9 Shanglian | Dyspnea with inability to walk |
| REN-14 Juque | Fifty cones of moxa on each point for Qi rebellion with cough, fullness of the chest and shortness of breath with pain that radiates to the back |
| REN-4 Guanyuan, LU-11 Shaoshang | Distention of the lateral costal region |
| UB-48 Yanggang, LU-11 Shaoshang, PC-8 Laogong | Difficult ingestion |
| ST-43 Xiangu | Postpartum belching |
| REN-4 Guanyuan, REN-3 Zhongji, SP-6 Sanyinjiao, REN-5 Shimen, SP-10 Xuehai | Running piglet qi in women |
| LI-7 Wenliu | Stiffness of the nape of the neck due to injury by Cold |
| LIV-1 Dadun, KI-10 Yingu, UB-40 Weizhong, UB-39 Weiyang | Involuntary erection with difficult urination |
Notes
This point gives hope: when it is opened, it allows verbal things to come out. It is used to make childbirth easier. It has a function similar to LIV-13 Zhangmen, the main difference being that this point mainly affects the Stomach while Zhangmen mainly affects the Spleen. This point is used for Liver qi attacking the Stomach: LIV-13 Zhangmen acts on the Middle and Lower jiao, while Qimen acts on the Middle and Upper jiao.
Sources and further reading
We cite classical materia medica and modern reference works. This article is health education, not medical advice.
- Shennong Bencao Jing (The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica), Han dynasty.
- Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica), Li Shizhen, 1578.
- Chinese Pharmacopoeia, current edition — identity, quality and safety monographs.
- NCCIH and WHO reference material on traditional medicine safety.
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