Stomach 40 Fenglong Abundant Bulge

Stomach 40, Fenglong, Abundant Bulge is an acupuncture point on the Stomach acupuncture channel. I live in Great Britain, and find this a really useful point. Few days pass without my using it at least once in clinic, for a variety of purposes. It is a trustworthy ally.

• Luo-connecting point for the Stomach

Location

Stomach 40 lies 8 cun above the lateral malleolus, lateral to the tibialis anterior muscle, level with Stomach 38.

Needling

Depth 1.5 cun to 3 cun, perpendicularly to the skin.

Needle sensation

The needle sensation for Stomach 40 is nearly always down the leg to the ankle and sometimes the toes. It can sometimes go the opposite way, as far as the chest. I don’t find it easy to get deqi up to the chest, however.

Moxa

Moxibustion: 3 – 6 cones

Actions of Stomach 40

• Transforms and disperses Phlegm and Damp
• Clears obstructions in the network of acupuncture channels
• Calms the spirit
• Dries the Spleen
• Eases pain, especially along the Stomach channel
• A good point for hiccups
• Clears stagnation due to phlegm or damp, especially if occurring in the chest area

Stomach 40 is one of the main points, if not the main point, for clearing mucus and phlegm from the body. In Chinese medicine, phlegm is often said to be made by the Spleen but stored in the Lungs. 

(When they say ‘phlegm is made’ by the Spleen, they actually mean that the Spleen failed to prevent phlegm forming!)

Phlegm and mucus are blamed for a variety of difficult syndromes and symptoms in Chinese medicine. If the Heart is clouded by mucus you ‘see ghosts and laugh madly’ for example. If your throat is obstructed by mucus/phlegm you may not be able to speak – you become mute.

This point resolves – or transforms – both Phlegm-Damp and Phlegm-Heat. It also clears Phlegm-Fire in the Stomach. (The meaning of these syndromes awaits completion of pages describing them.)

Because of its action on the chest area, this point is often used for syndromes explaining asthma and pleurisy.

Stomach 40 is also useful for pain or soreness in the thigh, knees and leg, and for emaciation or ‘withering’ of the muscles in the shin. 

It is a point often used for drop-foot, when due to Stomach syndromes.

Because it clears damp, it is one of a number of points for oedema, wherever it occurs.

Specific Actions as Stomach Luo-Connecting point

Fenglong, this point, is the Luo-connecting point for the Stomach. As such it has a number of specific properties related to that function.

• Wind in the Stomach luo-connecting channel: dislike of cold; fever; sore throat; enlarged tonsils; pain in the jaw; numbness in the jaw; paralysis of the face
• Damp in the Stomach luo-connecting channel: dislike of cold, fever; heaviness in the stomach area; swollen glands in the neck; nausea; vomiting
• Cold in the stomach luo-connecting channel: severe pain in the epigastric area; vomiting
• Fullness in the Stomach luo-connecting channel: insanity
• Emptiness in the Stomach Luo-connecting channel: emaciation, atrophy or flaccidity in the leg
• Rebellious qi in the Stomach Luo-connecting channel: throat is obstructed, aphonia
• Qi Stagnation in the Stomach Luo-connecting channel: epigastric distension
• Blood stasis in the Stomach Luo-connecting channel: epigastric pain with vomiting of dark blood

Lumps and bumps

Lumps, bumps, cysts, lipomas, fibromas, myomas: all these, in Chinese medicine are forms of phlegm.

Stomach 40 should therefore be part of treatment aimed at dealing with them, whether or not they lie on the Stomach or Spleen channel.

However, in my experience, you need other points as well to treat them, and herbs may be better.

Dispersing Excess (Fullness) in the Stomach channel

Where one or a pair of linked channels is excess, you can use its luo-connecting point to disperse the excess, particularly if it is the Yang partner. Using Fenglong this way doesn’t weaken the Stomach: it balances it with the Spleen.