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ACUPUNCTURE

Wan Gu: TCM Acupoint Guide

WANGU
By the TCMHH editorial team Not medically reviewed How we work Updated 6 Oct 2026
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Name

Wan Gu (Wangu)

Location

In the depression just posterior and inferior to the mastoid process. Note: place a finger on the prominence of the mastoid process then slide it posteriorly into the depression.

Needling

  • Oblique inferior insertion, 0.5 to 1 cun.
  • Slanted insertion, 0.5 to 1 cun.
  • Puncture obliquely, 0.3 to 0.5 cun.
  • Moxibustion is applicable.

Command Functions

  • Meeting point of the Gall Bladder and Bladder channels

Actions

  • Eliminates wind
  • Calms spasms
  • Subdues rising qi
  • Calms the mind
  • Benefits the head
  • Alleviates pain
  • Calms the shen

Indications

  • Otitis media
  • Epilepsy
  • Migraine headaches
  • Insomnia
  • Toothache
  • Swelling of the cheek radiating to the ear
  • Pain of the ear
  • Throat bi
  • Mania
  • Agitation of the heart
  • Dark urine
  • Seizures
  • Aphasia
  • Facial swelling or paralysis
  • Dizziness
  • Tinnitus
  • Pain behind the ear
  • Headache
  • Head wind with pain behind the ear
  • Shaking of the head
  • Stiffness and pain of the neck with inability to turn the head
  • Hemiplegia
  • Deviation of the mouth and eyes
  • Clenched jaw
  • Withering and contraction of the muscles around the mouth
  • Weakness and flaccidity of the legs
  • Atrophy disorder of the arms and legs
  • Malaria
  • Sweating with no aversion to cold
  • Throat pain
  • Parotitis

Notes

This point can be used as a local point for both exterior and interior wind.

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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.

Spotted an error or a better source? Tell us — corrections are logged on our editorial policy page.

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