Intersecting point: hand and foot yangming meridians.

bubble_chart Etymology

"Ying" (迎) means to greet or welcome; "xiang" (香) refers to fragrance or scent. The acupoint is located beside nose and is primarily used to treat nasal congestion and inability to perceive smells, hence the name.

bubble_chart Location

Yingxiang (LI20) acupoint
(adapted from "Meridians and Acupoints")

On the face, in the depression beside the nasolabial groove at the midpoint of the outer edge of nostril.

• Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing: "Above Heliao (LI19), beside the nasal hole beneath the nose";
• Bronze figure acupoint acupuncture and moxibustion Book of Illustrations: "Five fen from the nostril";
• Qianjin Yaofang: "One cun above Heliao (LI19)";
• Zhenfang Liuji: "On the nasolabial fold."

bubble_chart Anatomy

• Muscle: quadratus labii superioris. The deep layer is the edge of the piriform hole.
• Nerve: The anastomotic plexus of the infraorbital nerve and facial nerve.
• Vessels: Facial artery, vein and branches of infraorbital artery and vein.

bubble_chart Manipulation

Perpendicular insertion 0.2–0.3 cun; transverse insertion 0.3–0.5 cun directed upward and inward along the nasal root; or subcutaneous transverse insertion toward Sibai (ST2). Direct moxibustion is prohibited.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Relieve stuffy nose, disperse pathogenic wind, clear qi and fire.

• Classical: epistaxis with obstruction, nasal polyps, nasal congestion, excessive nasal discharge, loss of smell, facial itching and swelling, red and hot eyes, facial paralysis, and abdominal pain due to parasitic infestation.
• Modern: sinusitis, rhinitis, rosacea, facial nerve paralysis, facial muscle spasms, trigeminal neuralgia, constipation, biliary ascariasis, and dysmenorrhea.

bubble_chart Combinations

• Itchy and swollen face: Yingxiang (LI20), Hegu (LI4).
• Deafness and qi stagnation: Tinghui (GB2), Yingxiang (LI20).
• Red Eyes: Yingxiang (LI20), Linqi, Taichong (LR3), Hegu (LI4).
• Nasal congestion with loss of smell: Yingxiang (LI20), Shangxing (GV23).
• Rhinitis: Yintang (EX-HN3), Yingxiang (LI20), Hegu (LI4).
• Biliary ascariasis: Yingxiang (LI20), Sibai (ST2), Renzhong, Quchi (LI11), Zusanli (ST36).