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 Shen Yaozi 
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acupointZusanli
aliasSanli, Xialing, Xiasanli, Xialingsanli
meridianfoot yangming stomach meridian
international codeST36
smart_toy
bubble_chart Category

He-sea (earth) point.

bubble_chart Etymology

"Zu" (足), foot; "sanli" (三里), three miles. It is located three cun below knee, hence the name. Suwen-Zunjie: "What is called 'sanli' is three cun below knee." To distinguish it from Shousanli (LI10), where 'Shou' refers to hand, Shengji Zonglu refers to it as "Zusanli".

bubble_chart Location

Zusanli (ST36) acupoint
(adapted from "Meridians and Acupoints")

On the outer front side of lower leg, 3 cun below Dubi (ST35), at a horizontal finger's width (middle finger) from the anterior edge of tibia, located in the middle of tibialis anterior muscle.

  • Lingshu-Benshu: "Three cun below knee, outside patella."
  • Zhenjiu Zisheng Jing: "Use thumb and index finger to circle knee, and press the middle finger on the location for the acupoint, or use little finger as the point for the acupoint, but neither will mark the exact acupoint location... It is located below patella, along the side of the large tendon. Therefore, three cun below Dubi is the exact location of Sanli. It is not correct to simply measure three cun down from kneecap for Sanli point. In the current method, the acupoint might be taken too high." Xunjing Kaoxue Bian: "It should be around one finger width outside patella."

bubble_chart Anatomy

  • Muscles: tibialis anterior, extensor digitorum longus on the outside.
  • Nerve: lateral sural cutaneous nerve and the cutaneous branch of saphenous nerve, the deep layer is deep peroneal nerve.
  • Vessels: anterior tibial artery and vein.

bubble_chart Manipulation

Perpendicular insertion 1 to 2 cun. Moxibustion with moxa cone 5 ~ 7 rounds, moxibustion with moxa stick 10 ~ 20 minutes.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Regulate spleen and stomach, harmonize intestines and remove stagnation, clear heat and resolve dampness, descending counterflow and promoting qi, strengthen body's vitality.

  • Classical: epigastric pain and fullness, obstruction of diaphragm and throat, difficulty in eating and drinking, vomiting, frequent belching, borborygmus, abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhea, cholera, palpitation, fullness of chest and hypochondrium, swelling and pain of lower abdomen, enuresis, difficulty in urination, emaciation due to the five taxations, deficiency and fatigue from the seven damages, asthenia, fever, vexing heat in body, epilepsy, heavy head and forehead pain, crooked mouth, pharyngeal paralysis, breast abscess, eye disease, blurred vision and inability to see distant objects, swelling and fullness of the limbs, soreness and pain in the knees and shins, beriberi, foot swelling, lumbago that prevents turning, paralysis.
  • Modern: Indigestion, acute and chronic gastritis, reflux gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers, gastrointestinal motility disorders, gastroparesis, pyloric spasm, intestinal obstruction, bacillary dysentery, acute and chronic enteritis, appendicitis, acute pancreatitis and other digestive system diseases. Weakness, shock, anemia, hypertension, hepatitis, jaundice, asthma, epilepsy, neurasthenia, hyperlipidemia, leukopenia, gout, as well as allergic diseases, urinary and reproductive system diseases.

bubble_chart Combinations

bubble_chart Other Related Items

Zhenjiu Dacheng - Sanli

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