ACUPUNCTURE
Tian Fu: TCM Acupoint Guide
Name
Tian Fu (Tianfu)
Location
On the anterolateral aspect of the upper arm, 3 cun inferior to the axillary fold and 6 cun superior to LU-5 Chize, in the depression between the lateral border of the biceps brachii and the shaft of the humerus. Note: divide the distance between the axillary fold and the cubital crease into thirds; this point is at the junction of the upper and middle thirds.
Needling
- Straight insertion, 1 to 1.5 cun.
- Perpendicular insertion, 0.5 to 1 cun.
- Puncture perpendicularly, 0.5 to 1 cun.
Command Functions
- Window of Heaven, Window of the Sky, point
Actions
- Clears Lung Heat
- Descends Lung Qi
- Cools the Blood
- Stops bleeding
- Calms the corporeal Soul, Po
Indications
- Epistaxis
- External invasion
- Excessive euphoria
- Eye problems
- Claustrophobia
- Agoraphobia
- Forgetfulness
- Wheezing
- Dyspnea
- Cough
- Asthma
- Spitting Blood
- Hemoptysis
- Excessive sputum
- Dizziness
- Swelling and distention of the body
- Malaria
- Visual dizziness
- Near-sightedness
- Bronchitis
- Food gets stuck in the throat
- Confusion
- Loves to lie down
- Severe depression
- Difficulty speaking
- Won't speak
- Talking to oneself
- Somnolence
- Insomnia
- Sadness
- Weeping
- Disorientation
- Floating-corpse ghost talk
- Melancholy
- Goiter
- Swelling of the throat
- Pain of the inner aspect of the upper arm
- Purple-white Wind blotches, pityriasis versicolor
- Sudden and severe thirst
Combinations
| Points | Indications |
|---|---|
| KI-27 Shufu, KI-25 Shencang | Rebellious qi with dyspnea and inability to catch the breath |
| ST-13 Qihu, LU-2 Yunmen, HT-7 Shenmen | Dyspnea with rebellious qi, breathing with raised shoulders, inability to taste food |
| LI-4 Hegu | Epistaxis |
| SJ-13 Naohui or ST-11 Qishe, SJ-13 Naohui | Goiter, tumors of the neck, swollen throat |
| SJ-13 Naohui, ST-11 Qishe | Painful obstruction with difficulty bending and extending the elbow |
| LU-4 Xiabai | Pain and heaviness of the arm with acute pain of the axilla; purple-white Wind blotches, pityriasis versicolor |
Contraindications
According to several classical texts, moxibustion is contraindicated on this point as it can cause counterflow and disordered qi.
Notes
Opens the Spirit and ancestral energy, with a powerful psychological effect on all emotional problems related to the Lungs. Can be used as a first aid point for carbon monoxide poisoning. Appropriate for Liver Fire attacking the Lungs. Floating-corpse ghost talk may refer to delirious speech seen in the terminal stages of pulmonary tuberculosis.
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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