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POINT: ST-4 (STOMACH-4)  

NAME: DICANG

English: Earth Granary
Also Known As:

LOCATION:

  • Lateral to the corner of the mouth, directly below the pupil.
  • Lateral to the corner of the mouth, directly below the pupil of the eye when the eyes are looking straight ahead.
  • 0.4 cun lateral to the corner of the mouth.
    Note: this point is in the continuation of the nasolabial groove; ask the patient to smile if the groove is not visible.

NEEDLING:

  • Puncture subcutaneously 1 to 1.5 cun with the tip of the needle directed towards ST-6 Jiache.
  • Moxibustion is applicable.
  • Transverse insertion.
  • For facial paralysis, this point may be joined to ST-6 Jiache, 1 to 1.5 cun.
  • For trigeminal neuralgia, join to LI-20 Yingxiang, 1 to 2 cun. Sensation: distention and soreness or pain, either locally or throughout the side of the face.
  • Transverse insertion to join with such points as ST-6 Jiache, LI-20 Yingxiang, SI-18 Quanliao and REN-24 Chengjiang.

COMMAND FUNCTIONS:

  • Meeting point of the Yang Qiao channel and Large Intestine channel.
  • Meeting point of the Stomach and Large Intestine channels with the Yang Qiao and REN channels.

ACTIONS:

  • Expels Wind from the face
  • Removes obstructions from the channel
  • Alleviates pain
  • Benefits tendons and muscles

INDICATIONS:

  • Deviation of the mouth
  • Excessive salivation
  • Twitching eyelids
  • Inability to close the mouth
  • Inability to open the mouth
  • Cold sores on the lips
  • Lip spasms
  • Toothache
  • Swollen cheeks
  • Ceaseless movement of the eyeball
  • Inability to close the eye
  • Pain and itching of the eye
  • Blurring of distant objects
  • Night blindness
  • Hemiplegia with deviation of the mouth and eyes
  • Eye tic
  • Inability to close the eyes
  • Lip rash
  • Intestinal parasitosis
  • Swollen foot
  • Swelling of the legs
  • Facial paralysis
  • Trigeminal neuralgia
  • Mouth and eyes awry
  • Muteness
  • Drooling
  • Aphasia
  • Pain of the cheek
  • Food and drink leak out of the mouth
  • Numbness of the lips and face
  • Contraction of the facial muscles
  • Atrophy disorder with inability to walk
  • Swelling of the leg
  • Inability to eat
  • Inability to drink
  • Paralysis of the muscles around the mouth
  • Spasms of the muscles over the eyes
  • Trismus
  • Spasm of the eyelid
  • Myopia
  • Laryngitis

COMBINATIONS:

M-HN-6
Yuyao
ST-2
Sibai

ST-6
Jiache
LI-20
Yingxiang
LI-4
Hegu

REN-24
Chengjiang
LI-4
Hegu

Trigeminal neuralgia

Facial paralysis

Excessive salivation

ST-6
Jiache

or

LU-7
Lieque

ST-6
Jiache
DU-26
Renzhong
REN-24
Chengjiang
GB-2
Tinghui
LI-4
Hegu

LU-9
Taiyuan

Deviation of the mouth

Deviation of the mouth and eye

Legs withered and lame

CONTRAINDICATIONS:

NOTES:

  • This is primarily a local point for facial paralysis and trigeminal neuralgia
  • It has recently been used to treat nicotine addiction.
  • For facial paralysis, facial pain and trigeminal neuralgia, especially when due to Deficiency, needle contralaterally. Common practice is to needle the diseased side.
  • This is a special point for hemiplegia with deviation of the mouth and eyes.