Lung Point 10 Yuji: Fish Region or Border

Lung point 10, Yuji, is the tenth point on the Lung acupuncture channel. On that channel it is the:

• Ying-Spring point
• Fire point

Location of Yuji

This point lies on the palmar surface of the hand, in a depression medial to a point midway along the first metacarpal bone on the ulnar side, between the bone and the thenar muscles.

Needling

Depth 0.5 to 1.0 cun, perpendicular to the skin, close up to the bone. If you need to use it, the point will probably be sore to probe.

Needling Sensation: a local distending sensation.

Actions of Lung Point 10

• Clears Lung heat
• Descends rebellious qi of Lung and Stomach
• Benefits the throat
• Eliminates fire poison from the head caused by mental depression

Indications and Comment for Yuji

Yuji is a very cooling point, mentally and physically.

Mentally it eliminates Fire from the head caused by mental depression characterised by lots of crying, or where there is nervous anxiety, with headache and palpitations.

Physically it clears Heat from the Lungs:

• Benefits sore, swollen, or dry throat, as for example in Wind-Heat sore throat
• Cough, which can be either acute or chronic, as long as there is an element of Heat present, (either Excess or Deficiency)  Click for more on Cough.
• Coughing blood. 
• Sore throat from smoking or exposure to external heat or dryness
• Useful for lung conditions when fever is present
• Laryngitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, hoarseness, loss of voice, asthma, tidal fever from Heat in the Lung

• For the same reason, this is one of the points that can be used in treating pulmonary tuberculosis (where you get Lung Heat, among other syndromes, and a gradually increasing Yin deficiency, including deficiency of Lung Yin)
• Throat blockage (can’t swallow)
• Abdominal pain, pain in the chest and back from Lung or Stomach Heat
• Helps regulate Yin and Yang of the organs
• Stomach heat problems, such as toothache, difficulty eating or drinking.

In traditional Chinese medicine theory, Lung point 10 is not usually recommended for tonifying the Lungs: it is nearly always used to disperse excess. However, the 5 Elements acupuncture theory system does use it to tonify the Lungs.

5 Element Theory

However, in the Five Element School of Acupuncture, this point may be used to warm deficient or cold Lung qi. This makes sense if you view the Five Elements as being Four Elements (Fire, Metal, Water, Wood) daisy-chained round Earth at the centre. In this model, Yuji, being the Fire point, is the Lung tonification point. (Still, Taiyuan, Lung 9, remains the main tonification point, being the Earth point.)

Because it can benefit the throat so well, by clearing Heat, it actually benefits Lung Yin deficiency as well, so can be used for Yin deficiency Heat conditions. Here it helps to clear Heat but also helps to balance the Yin and Yang of the Lung, so in effect tonifying Lung qi. If there were also an overall Yang deficiency, together with Lung Yin deficiency, I might hesitate to use this point alone: I would add other points, some with moxa, for the Yang deficiency.

Lung Yin deficiency conditions include mental agitation and mania, and physical conditions such as arise in childhood malnutrition, difficulty swallowing, vomiting food and tension and fullness in the chest from anxiety and fright. Also for chronic sore throat with signs of Heat.

Locally, Lung point 10 can be used for pain in the palm and thumb. If the pain is from deficiency, however, I would suggest you first consider using either Lung 7, Lung 9, or Large Intestine 4.

Of course, there may be other, deeper, causes of the pain which will need to be treated.

Most people dislike this point because the skin has many nerves here: when needling it, do so quickly.

For access to the other Lung channel points, click below: