Lidui Point (ST-45 / Sharp Marsh)
Discover the exact location and acupressure method for Lidui (ST-45 / Sharp Marsh). Learn its benefits for insomnia, excessive dreaming, facial deviation, and hepatitis, plus classic combinations for comprehensive treatment.
Indications
Excessive dreaming, facial deviation, facial muscle paralysis, and hepatitis.
Precise Location
On the lateral side of the 2nd toe, 2 mm from the corner of the nail base toward the 3rd toe (0.1 cun lateral to the nail corner of the 2nd toe).
Location Method
Sit upright with the knee flexed and place the foot on the opposite knee. Support the sole with the four fingers of the opposite hand with the thumb on the dorsum. Bend the thumb and press – the point is where the thumbnail rests at the lateral nail corner of the 2nd toe.
Massage Method
Press vertically with the thumbnail into the point, once each morning and evening – left first, then right – for 1–3 minutes per session. Therapeutic actions: Clears heat and harmonizes the stomach, revives the patient and awakens the spirit, unblocks the meridians and collaterals.
Compatibility
Insomnia: Combine with Shenmen (HT-7), Shangwan (RN-13), and Lidui (ST-45). Disease overview: Insomnia is characterized by difficulty falling asleep, shallow sleep, early awakening, or poor sleep quality. Massage sequence: First press Shenmen (at the ulnar end of the wrist crease, in the depression at the radial side of the flexor carpi ulnaris tendon) with the thumb pad for 1 minute; then press Shangwan for 3 minutes; finally press Lidui for 3 minutes. Hepatitis: Combine with Taiyang (EX-HN5), Baihui (GV-20), Zusanli (ST-36), and Lidui (ST-45). Cerebral anemia: Combine with Taiyang (EX-HN5).
Efficacy & Actions
Some people suffer from insomnia all night, tossing and turning, or experience continuous dreaming through the night. Yet during the day, they feel exhausted, weak, and lethargic. In such cases, persistent pressing of Lidui can improve nighttime sleeplessness and daytime fatigue. This point belongs to the Foot Yangming Stomach Meridian and is the Jing-Well point where the meridian qi emerges (corresponding to the Metal element in the five-element theory). It clears heat and harmonizes the stomach, revives the patient and awakens the spirit, unblocks the meridians and collaterals. It is a commonly used point for treating mental and head-face-orificial disorders. First documented in Lingshu · Benshu. "Li" means fierce or intense; "Dui" is one of the eight trigrams, representing marsh – also meaning sharp. As the Jing-Well point of the Stomach Meridian, qi emerges here like water in a marsh, sharp and penetrating – hence the name Lidui (Sharp Marsh).
