Knowledge baseAcupuncture points
ST-36
Zu San Li足三里
Leg Three Miles
- Channel
- Stomach
- Classification
- He-Sea, Command
Location
Three cun below ST-35, one finger-breadth lateral to the anterior crest of the tibia, in tibialis anterior.
Needling
Perpendicular insertion 1–1.5 cun. Moxibustion is appropriate and traditionally much used here.
Actions
- Harmonizes the stomach and strengthens the spleen
- Tonifies qi and nourishes blood
- Resolves dampness
- Raises the yang and restores strength after illness
Indications
Digestive complaints of almost every kind — epigastric pain, distension, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation — along with general depletion, fatigue and weakness or pain in the leg.
Notes
The classic point for building strength rather than clearing something away, which is why it appears in so many tonifying prescriptions.