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Governing Vessel Indications
| AcuPoint | Functions | Indications | Special Notes |
| GV 1** | prevents rectal prolapse; stops diarrhea; opens CV and GV - (all of these are weak) | diarrhea; constipation; coccyx pain; hemorrhoids; rectal prolapse; rectal bleeding | Luo point - KD, GB, and CV meridians cross with GV - helps with prolapse and spleen meridian can as well |
| GV 2** | hemorrhoids (after GV1), low back pain (local pain, stiffness, and from cold) | has a weak function of warming the lower burner (in theory, but not used clinically) | |
| GV 3*** | tonifies and warms kidney yang, benefits lower back and knees, eliminates cold and damp from low back and knees | low back pain, paralysis of lower limbs, muscular atrophy of the legs, | similar to GV4, but not as strong - good yang tonifier, but rarely used because GV4 is stronger, sometimes used as an adjunct to an impotence point prescription |
| GV 4**** | nourishes source qi, strengthens kidneys/yang, benefits lumbar vertebrae and spine, increases kidney fire | low back pain or sprain, 5am diarrhea, enuresis, spermattorhea, impotence, leukorrhea, irregular menstruation, endometriosis, peritonitis, spinal myelitis, sciatica, nephritis, sequelae of infantile paralysis, asthma due to deficient kidney not grasping l | very important and very strong, no point nourishes kidney fire like GV4, burning moxa will warm the abdomen, similar to CV 4 in many ways, need a kidney deficiency to use this point (except for a kidney yin deficiency) - Combos: for male sexual problems |
| GV 5* | one star local point - not important | ||
| GV 6* | |||
| GV 7* | |||
| GV 8** | treats muscle spasms | spasms of tendons and muscles - especially in back | LV shu level |
| GV 9** | transforms damp heat, but weak | level with diaphragm shu and blood shu | |
| GV 10* | one star local point | one level below HT shu and can be used for spirit problems related to restlessness, can use moxa to calm | |
| AcuPoint | Functions | Indications | Special Notes |
| GV 11** | calms heart and mind | reinforces HT shu, can use moxa here for calming | |
| GV 12** | tonifies lungs | level with LU shu and back up point for LU shu, can be used for lung melancholy | |
| GV 13** | can use for releasing the exterior if you cannot needle GV 14 for some reason | BL meridian crosses here, similar to GV 14 but less powerful | |
| GV 14*** | relieves exterior conditions, opens yang and spreads yang to extremities, tonifies wei qi, reduces fever, clears heat, fire, and summer heat, can moxa for OPI prevention | OPI, cold , seizures, asthma used with Ding chuan, pain in shoulder, neck pain and rigidity (flexion and extension), any febrile disease, tai yang stage (OPI wind cold) use GV 14 to disperse and cause a sweat, yang ming stage (lung heat) use GV 14 to toni | meeting point of all yang meridians, can be used with GV 4 to propel yang energy further around body, disperse with OPI wind heat, tonify with cold hands; to release exterior use GV 14, LU 7, LI 4; build wei qi with GV 14, ST 36, and BL 13 (only when path |
| GV 15** | benefits the tongue and mouth; clears the senses and consciousness; clears the voice; aphasia related mouth problems | apoplexy after stroke; may not help voice box injury but worth a try | yang wei meridian crosses at GV 15; deep needling and upward oblique is contraindicated; needle shallow (.5 cun) |
| GV 16*** | dispels wind cold heat; dispels interior wind | can be used for any of the common wind symptoms: stiff neck, numbness, stroke | rarely used because other points that are easier to use are more common |
| GV 17* | disperses wind | ||
| GV 18* | local for headaches | ||
| GV 19* | local point for headaches | ||
| GV 20**** | clears the senses; calms the spirit; extinguishes liver wind (as relates to vertex headache); stabilizes ascending yang (lifts yang up, lifts the spirit); clears strong heat in yang channels (point can resuscitate from loss of consciousness) | vertex headache; frontal headache from sinus congestion; dizziness; hypertension; insomnia; seizures (wind); prolapse (lifts energy up); hemorrhoids; diarrhea; vaginal bleeding; tinnitus; nasal obstruction and congestion; stroke; locked jaw; hemiplegia; f | all yang meridians cross here; often called the "elevator point" because it can bring qi up and bring qi down; often combined with SP points because the spleen holds things up as well; end of the liver channel |
| AcuPoint | Functions | Indications | Special Notes |
| GV 21* | local point | ||
| GV 22* | local point | don't needle before 18 months of age because fontanels are not closed | |
| GV 23*** | clears the nasal cavity; | headache; rhinitis; any nose problems involving obstruction; | can burn moxa of 3-5 cones for sinus problems; ghost point and can be used for mental disorders, but not seen often these days |
| GV 24** | benefits the nose; sedates the heart and spirit; | local headache (frontal and sinus); seizures; | BL and ST cross here; all points from GV 20 to hairline can be used for sinus problems if tender |
| GV 25* | clears senses and drains heat | rarely used | |
| GV 26*** | clears the senses; benefits the lumbar spine | loss of consciousness; acute low back sprain; sick; drowning; coma; heat exhaustion; seizures | Diane - good point for first trimester nausea; a famous emergency point; LI and ST dross here |
| GV 27* | local | ||
| GV 28* | local | CV and GV cross here |