Dabao Point (SP-21 / Great Embrace)
Discover the exact location and acupressure method for Dabao (SP-21 / Great Embrace). Learn its benefits for chest pain, wheezing, indigestion, and limb weakness – the Great Luo-Connecting point of the Spleen – plus classic combinations for comprehensive treatment.
Indications
Chest and hypochondriac fullness with pain, wheezing, indigestion, and weakness of the four limbs.
Precise Location
Located on the Spleen Meridian, 6 cun directly below the axilla along the mid-axillary line – approximately the distance from the tip of the middle finger to the wrist crease.
Location Method
Sit upright or lie supine. Bring the five fingers of the right hand together with the fingertips pointing upward, place the middle fingertip at the midpoint of the left axilla – the point is where the outer edge of the wrist line aligns. Use the same method to locate the opposite side.
Massage Method
Cross both hands in front of the chest and knead with the middle fingertips – once each morning and evening, for 1–3 minutes per session. Therapeutic actions: Soothes the chest and hypochondrium, moves qi and relieves pain, stops cough and relieves wheezing.
Compatibility
Infantile bronchopneumonia: Combine with Feishu (BL-13), Dabao (SP-21), Tanzhong (RN-17), and Fenglong (ST-40). Disease overview: This condition can occur year-round, especially in winter and spring cold seasons and during sudden climate changes. Western medicine attributes bronchopneumonia primarily to pneumococcal infection, affecting alveoli near the bronchi with inflammation of bronchial walls and mucosa. TCM considers this under the "wind-warm" disease category – due to lung defense insufficiency, wind-heat invading from the exterior to the lung, causing heat stagnation, fluid evaporation into phlegm, and possible progression to heat entering the nutrient-blood level. Massage sequence: Child prone – separate the scapulae with pushing 100 times; knead Feishu and Dabao for 1 minute each; knead Tanzhong and Fenglong for 2 minutes each. Flat chest: Combine with Rugen (ST-18). Pleurisy: Combine with Rugen (ST-18) and Shenfeng (KI-23).
Efficacy & Actions
Regular massage of Dabao helps clear blood stasis within the point, eliminate masses, regulate lung qi, and improve and nourish lung function. Additionally, for those who sleep restlessly at night with a semi-conscious state, yet feel lethargic and weak during the day – persistent pressing of this point can relieve and improve these symptoms. This point belongs to the Foot Taiyin Spleen Meridian and is the Great Luo-Connecting point of the Spleen, which connects and unites all yin and yang meridians. It soothes the chest and hypochondrium, moves qi and relieves pain, stops cough and relieves wheezing. It is a commonly used point for treating chest, hypochondriac, and systemic disorders. First documented in Lingshu · Jingmai. "Da" means great or important; "Bao" means to embrace or encompass. As the Great Luo-Connecting point of the Spleen, it unites and encompasses the qi of all yin and yang meridians – hence the name Dabao (Great Embrace).
