Ming, life; door, portal; means the door of life. Both sides of the point are connected to Shenshu (BL23), and kidney qi is the root of the body, hence the name.

[Location]

Zhongwan, Qihai, Mingmen, Yaoyangguanacupoint cross section
(quoted from "Yan Zhenguo acupoint anatomy")

Mingmen (GV4) acupoint
(quoted from "Meridians and Acupoints")

The depression under the spinous process of the second lumbar vertebra (fourteenth vertebra) in the midline of the waist, about the same as the 11th lumbar vertebra Ribs) are flat at their lower ends.

• Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing: "Ask under the fourteenth vertebrae." You can also place acupoints at the bulges of the spinous processes.
• Leijing Tuyi: "When taking the governor vessel (GV) points between the spines, they should be taken at the joint protrusion."

[Anatomy]

• Muscles: lumbar tendon membrane, supraspinal ligament, interspinous ligament, and interarcuate ligament.
• Nerve: medial branch of the posterior branch of the lumbar nerve, and the spinal cord is within the spinal canal.
• Vessels: posterior branch of lumbar artery, interspinous subcutaneous venous filaments.

[Manipulation]

Perpendicular insertion 0.5~1.5 inches, do not insert deeply. Or insert the needle at the height of the spinous process and subcutaneously insert 1 to 2 inches downward. moxa cone moxibustion 3 to 7 weeks, moxa stick warm moxibustion for 15 to 20 minutes.

[Efficacy]

Benefit the waist and spine, warm the kidney yang, regulate blood, and clear away heat.

• Classical: headache like breaking, body heat like fire, inability to sweat, boils, lumbar and spinal pain, pain in the waist and abdomen, hemorrhoidal pain, bleeding, tenesmus, dysentery, metrorrhagia, leukorrhea, prolapse of uterus, hematemesis, epistaxis, frequent urination, enuresis, seminal emission, impotence.
• Modern: Paraplegia, sequelae of poliomyelitis, spondylitis, lumbar hypertrophy, consumptive thirst, infertility, pelvic inflammation, Zigong (EX-CA1) endometrium, anemia.

[Recipe]

• Small case frequency: Mingmen (GV4), Shenshu (BL23).
• The sun cannot afford: Mingmen (GV4), Shenshu (BL23), Qihai (CV6), Rangu (KI2).
• enuresis: Baihui (GV20), Mingmen (GV4), Zhongliao (BL33), Guanyuan (CV4), Sanyinjiao (SP6).