Wenliu Point (LI-7)
Discover the exact location and acupressure method for Wenliu (LI-7). Learn its indications for headache, facial swelling, throat obstruction, and abdominal pain, plus classic combinations for epistaxis, manic episodes, and stiff neck from ancient texts.
Indications
Alternating chills and fever with headache, reddened and swollen face, pain of the mouth and tongue, borborygmus and abdominal pain, febrile disease with hiccups and belching, qi obstruction in the diaphragm region, inappropriate laughter and manic speech with hallucinations, salivation (drooling), wind invasion with swelling of the four limbs, protruding tongue, and throat obstruction (laryngeal paralysis).
Precise Location
On the forearm, 5 cun above the distal wrist crease on the dorsum of the wrist, on the line connecting Yangxi (LI-5) and Quchi (LI-11).
Location Method
Sit upright or lie supine, extend the arm with the palm facing up. Locate the line from Yangxi (the depression at the radial side of the dorsal wrist crease) to Quchi (the lateral end of the elbow crease when the elbow is flexed). Measure 5 cun upward from Yangxi (approximately the width of five fingers together) – the point where obvious soreness and distension upon pressure is Wenliu.
Massage Method
① Massage: Press and knead with the thumb. Press and knead Wenliu with the thumb about 200 times, or for 3–5 minutes daily. Adhering to this routine can prevent and treat epistaxis (nosebleeds), toothache, abdominal pain, and forearm pain. Therapeutic actions: Clears heat and regulates qi, warms the meridians and unblocks the collaterals, reduces swelling and relieves pain.
Compatibility
Epistaxis (nosebleeds): Combine with Hegu (LI-4). Throat obstruction with inability to speak: Combine with Quchi (LI-11). (Zhenjiu Jiayijing) Epileptic/psychotic disorders: Combine with Pucan (BL-61). (Beiji Qianjin Yaofang) Manic episodes with collapse: Combine with Yemen (TE-2) and Jinggu (BL-64). (Beiji Qianjin Yaofang) (Note: "Yemen" is the correction of the original text's "Yemen" variant) Stiff neck due to febrile disease: Combine with Qimen (LR-14). (Zhenjiu Juying · Baizheng Fu) Borborygmus with abdominal pain: Combine with Xiangu (ST-43), Fuliu (KI-7), and Yanggang (BL-48). (Beiji Qianjin Yaofang)