Gallbladder 20 – Fengchi – Wind Pond

Location of Gallbladder 20

Gallbladder 20 – fengchi – is below the occiput, in the depression at the lateral border of the trapezius.

The point is often sore to pressure when you are stressed, in a rush to complete a project, or are affected by Wind.

Needling Fengchi

Depth: if you needle Gallbladder 20 too deeply towards the spine you may damage the spinal cord – not recommended!

So until familiar with using the point, go shallow, even if results are less effective than you expect. Eventually up to 1.5 cun.

Direction of needling

Which direction to needle depends on your intention and where there is pain.

• At the sorest point you locate, towards the opposite eye or the nose-tip or
• Slightly inferiorly as if along the channel pathway 

Needle Sensation

Needle at the sorest point and in the direction of most pressure-pain. However, the point is strong, so not everyone can take it  – so go shallow with mild technique to begin with.

Usually people feel deqi sensation locally around the point, and forwards toward the temple and downward along the channel into the neck.

Moxa on Gallbladder 20

Moxibustion on Gallbladder 20 should be done carefully. The point lies close to head hair and, for safety, is best done with the patient lying on the opposite side, head resting on a pillow, hair swept upwards and protected by something inflammable. Thus you moxa one side at a time.

For invasion by wind-cold, moxa here can be very comforting.

Moxa cones 3 – 10 cones.

Actions of Gallbladder 20

• Often used to eliminate Wind
• Disperses Wind-Heat and, with moxa, Wind-cold
• Sedative, calming
• Eases eye and head symptoms
• Benefits hearing and vision
• Soothes Liver and pacifies Yang, for example Liver Yang ascending

Uses of Fengchi

• Common cold at its onset (eg feeling cold and sweating with fever) – with Du14 and Large Intestine 4
• Eyes watering from Wind
• At start of attack by influenza or similar disease
• Vertigo
• Headache and migraine

• Stiff neck
• Vision unclear or blurred
• Eye disease and inflammation
• Tinnitus, deafness
• Sunstroke
• Epileptic type seizures and after apoplexy
• Hemiplegia
• Brain disease
• Inhibits some kinds of vomiting for example if caused by Liver Yang
• Hypertension especially from Liver Yang ascending
• Spinal weakness

Comment

Fengchi is an important point for conditions caused by Wind or Liver Yang ascending affecting the head.

In effect, it can dissipate or ameliorate excess yang symptoms in the head and send them downwards.

However, it is less effective for apparent excess yang caused by deficient yin. In fact, if needle technique here is too dissipative and the problem comes from deficient yin (such as from Kidney deficiency or Liver Blood deficiency) treatment will weaken the patient, possibly making him dizzier or more confused. Here, its effect will be counter-productive unless additional treatment supplements yin and/or Blood.

Remember that fengchi lies on the Gallbladder channel, so has a particular effect on vision and the eyes.

Click for other points on the Gallbladder channel.

Click for points on the Liver channel.