Smarter Healing

Spleen Meridian Acupuncture Points

Acupuncture Meridian - Spleen

Spleen Meridian Points

  • SP 1: yin bai / Hidden White
    • Function: Strengthens the Spleen, regulates blood, calms the wind.
    • Indications: Abdominal distension, bloody stools, menorrhagia, uterine bleeding, mental disorders, dream-disturbed sleep, convulsion.
  • SP 2: da du / Great Metropolis
    • Function: Strengthens the Spleen, promotes digestion, clears heat.
    • Indications: Abdominal distension, gastric pain, constipation, febrile diseases with anhidrosis.
  • SP 3: tai bai / Supreme White
    • Function: Strengthens the Spleen, resolves damp, strengthens the spine.
    • Indications: Gastric pain, abdominal distension, constipation, dysentery, vomiting, diarrhea, borborygmus, sluggishness, beriberi.
  • SP 4: gong sun / Yellow Emperor
    • Function: Tonifies Stomach and Spleen, regulates the Penetrating Vessel, stops bleeding, dispels fullness, pacifies the Stomach, removes obstructions, regulates menses.
    • Indications: Gastric pain, vomiting, abdominal pain and distension, diarrhea, dysentery, borborygmus.
  • SP 5: shang qiu / Metal Hill
    • Function: Strengthens Stomach and Spleen, resolves damp.
    • Indications: Abdominal distension, constipation, diarrhea, borborygmus, pain and rigidity of the tongue, pain in the foot and ankle, hemorrhoid.
  • SP 6: san yin jiao / Three Yin Intersection
    • Function: Strengthens Spleen, resolves damp, promotes function of Liver and smooth flow of Liver Qi, tonifies Kidneys, nourishes blood and yin, benefits urination, regulates uterus and menstruation, moves and cools blood and eliminates stasis, stops pain, calms mind.
    • Indications: PMS, abdominal pain and distension, impotence, borborygmus, diarrhea, sterility, delayed labor, nocturnal emission, enuresis, dysuria, edema, hernia, genital pain, dizziness, vertigo, insomnia, muscular atrophy.
  • SP 7: lou gu / Leaking Valley
    • Function: Fortifies the Spleen and harmonizes the stomach, disinhibits damp and disperses swelling, frees the channels and quickens the connecting vessels, regulates Qi and blood.
    • Indications: Abdominal distension, borborygmus, coldness, numbness and paralysis of the knee and leg.
  • SP 8: di ji / Earth’s Crux
    • Function: Removes obstructions from the channel, regulates Qi and blood, regulates the uterus, stops pain.
    • Indications: Abdominal pain and distension, diarrhea, edema, dysuria, nocturnal emission, irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea.
  • SP 9: yin ling quan / Yin Mound Spring
    • Function: Resolves dampness, benefits the lower energizer, benefits urination, removes obstructions from the channel.
    • Indications: Abdominal pain and distension, diarrhea, dysentery, edema, jaundice, dysuria, enuresis, incontinence of urine, genital pain, dysmenorrhea, knee pain.
  • SP 10: xue hai / Sea of Blood
    • Function: Cools the blood, removes stasis of blood, regulates menstruation, tonifies blood.
    • Indications: Irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, uterine bleeding, amenorrhea, urticarial, eczema, erysipelas, pain in the medial aspect of the thigh.
  • SP 11: ji men / Winnower Gate
    • Function: Clears the head and disinhibits Qi, promotes free flow through the waterway.
    • Indications: Dysuria, enuresis, pain and swelling in the inguinal region, muscular atrophy, motor impairment, pain and paralysis of the lower extremities.
  • SP 12: chong men / Surging Gate
    • Function: Removes obstructions from the channel, tonifies yin.
    • Indications: Abdominal pain, hernia, dysuria.
  • SP 13: ju she / Bowel Abode
    • Function: Regulates Qi dynamic, soothes the Liver and relieves pain.
    • Indications: Lower abdominal pain, hernia.
  • SP 14: fu jie / Abdominal Bind
    • Function: Warms the center and dissipates cold, rectifies Qi and downbears counterflow.
    • Indications: Pain around the umbilical region, abdominal distension, hernia, diarrhea, constipation.
  • SP 15: da heng / Great Horizontal
    • Function: Strengthens the Spleen and limbs, resolves damp, regulates Qi, stops pain, promotes the function of the Large Intestine.
    • Indications: Abdominal pain and distension, diarrhea, dysentery, constipation.
  • SP 16: fu ai / Abdominal Lament
    • Function: Clears heat and disinhibits damp, frees bowel Qi.
    • Indications: Abdominal pain, indigestion, constipation, dysentery.
  • SP 17: shi dou / Food Hole
    • Function: Rectifies Qi and disinhibits water, courses the Triple Energizer.
    • Indications: Fullness and pain in the chest and hypochondriac region.
  • SP 18: tian xi / Celestial Ravine
    • Function: Loosens the chest and rectifies Qi, downbears counterflow and suppresses cough.
    • Indications: Fullness and pain in the chest and hypochondrium, cough, hiccup, mastitis, insufficient lactation.
  • SP 19: xiong xiang / Chest Village
    • Function: Diffuses and downbears Lung Qi, suppresses cough and stabilizes dyspnea.
    • Indications: Fullness and pain in the chest and hypochondriac region.
  • SP 20: zhou rong / All-Round Flourishing
    • Function: Diffuses and downbears Lung Qi, suppresses cough and stabilizes dyspnea.
    • Indications: Fullness in the chest and hypochondriac region, cough, hiccough.
  • SP 21: da bao / Great Embracement
    • Function: Moves blood in the blood connecting channels.
    • Indications: Pain in the chest and hypochondriac region, asthma, general aching and weakness.

Primary Functions

  • Overseeing the healthy function of the digestion of food and liquids by the intestines after they have been processed by the stomach.
  • Influencing the production of chi energy and physical blood.
  • Controlling the discharge of bodily fluids.
  • Monitoring the healthiness of the blood, overseeing the first steps in creation of new blood cells, and preventing hemorrhaging.
  • Dominating the activity of the muscles, especially those of the arms and legs.
  • Influencing the functions of the mouth and especially the sense of taste.
  • Aiding in the increase of chi energy to counteract decreases brought about by various causes.

Common Uses

  • Treating problems with food digestion and expulsion, including borborygmus (noisy rumbling intestines), loose stools, undigested food reaching the stool, and appetite problems related to digestion.
  • Treating disorders of the intestines, such as dysentery, diarrhea, and constipation.
  • Treating pain in the abdomen, edema of the abdomen, feelings of heaviness, soreness of muscles and joints, swelling in the limbs, urination problems, leucorrhoea (abnormal vaginal discharge), prolapse, excess drowsiness, and lethargy due to poor metabolism.
  • Tonifying (increasing energy within) both chi and blood.
  • Improving circulation of the blood, especially in the uterus.
  • Raising chi levels in general.
  • Treating dyspnoea (labored breathing), and distension (internal swelling) of the chest.
  • Calming and regulating the spirit.
  • Treating genital disorders.

Spleen Meridian Channels & Sinews

The Spleen meridian begins on the big toe of the foot, and continues up the leg until it reaches the torso.

It rises up the side of the body until it reaches the shoulder area, and then veers down and comes to an end in the armpit area.

However, like most meridians, the Spleen meridian also has secondary energy pathways and muscle tissue, referred to classically as the sinews, which it strongly affects.

Spleen luo-connecting channel
Spleen luo-connecting channel
Source: A Manual of Acupuncture

The first of these pathways it the Spleen luo-connecting channel.

The luo-connecting channel of the Spleen is a secondary energy pathway that separates from the Spleen meridian at acupoint SP4 on the side of the foot.

It then goes up the leg alongside the regular Spleen meridian, until it reaches the torso and enters into the physical stomach and intestines.

The Spleen luo-connecting channel also connects to the Stomach meridian in the torso area.

Spleen great luo-connecting channel
Spleen great luo-connecting channel
Source: A Manual of Acupuncture

The next pathway is the Spleen great luo-connecting channel.

This pathway is a bit unique in that most meridians don’t have a separately named “great” luo-connecting channel.

The great luo-connecting channel separates from the primary Spleen meridian at acupoint SP21 in the armpit area, and spreads out around this area and towards the chest to influence the blood of the body as well as all of the luo-connecting channels of the other meridians.

Spleen divergent channel
Spleen divergent channel
Source: A Manual of Acupuncture

Next up is the Spleen divergent channel, which separates from the Spleen meridian on the inner thigh area near acupoint SP11, and goes up the body.

The Spleen divergent channel aligns closely to the Stomach divergent channel, as it goes all the way up the body into the throat and penetrates the tongue.

Spleen sinew channel
Spleen sinew channel
Source: A Manual of Acupuncture

The final area of influence of the Spleen meridian is the Spleen sinew channel.

This area of muscle and tissue begins at the first acupoint of the Spleen meridian, SP1, on the big toe of the foot.

It follows the primary meridian up the leg until it reaches the area near acupoint SP12 and SP13, where it then branches away from the primary meridian and goes towards the external genitalia.

The sinew channel touches the genitalia and then travels upwards until it reaches the belly button.

From the belly button, the Spleen sinew channel enters inwards into the abdomen and upwards into the inside of the chest.

From the inside of the chest, the sinew channel then branches back and touches the spine.

Related Pages

The 12 Primary Meridians

The 2 Major Extraordinary Vessels

The 6 Minor Extraordinary Vessels