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Alternate names: 丹田 dān tián, Cinnabar Field; 精露 jīng lù, Essential Dew; 绝孕 jué yùn, Infertility; 利机 lì jī, Crux Disinhibitor; 命门 mìng mén, Life Gate; 三焦募 sān jiāo mù, Triple Burner Alarm; 俞门 shù mén, Transport Gate

Channel: CV, controlling (rèn) vessel

Modern location: An acupoint located on the smaller abdomen, 2 cùn inferior to the umbilicus on the midline.

Classical location: Directly above Origin Pass (CV-4), two cùn below the navel. From The Golden Mirror of Medicine (医宗金鑑 yī zōng jīn jiàn)

Local anatomy: The branches of the superficial epigastric and inferior epigastric arteries and veins. The anterior cutaneous branch of the eleventh intercostal nerve.

Action: Warms the kidney and invigorates yáng; regulates the menses and checks vaginal discharge.

Modern indications: Abdominal pain; water swelling; diarrhea; mounting qì (shàn qì, inguinal hernia); inhibited urination; diarrhea; amenorrhea; vaginal discharge; flooding and spotting.

Classical indications: Concretions and conglomerations; no desire for food and drink; nontransformation of grain and water (undigested food in the stool); scrotal retraction; counterflow vomiting; constipation; mammary disease.

Needle stimulus: Needling: 0.5‒0.8 cùn perpendicular insertion. Moxa: 7 cones; pole 20‒30 min.

Needle sensation: Distension extending along the course of the controlling vessel to the genital area.

Warning: Needling of this point is contraindicated during pregnancy.

Point groups: Alarm point (mù xué) of the triple burner.

Point name meaning:

• 石 shí: stone
• 门 mén: gate, door

CV-5 is effective in treating stone conglomerations (石瘕 shí jiǎ), which are stone-like masses in the lower abdomen. The point is a gate through which these conglomerations can be treated; hence the name Stone Gate.

A place where crops cannot grow is called a stone field (石田 shí tián), and a woman who is not able to give birth is called a stone woman (石女 shí nǚ). Needling this point can prevent conception; therefore the point is called Stone Gate. The alternate name Infertility supports this explanation.

Stone Gate is the name of a mountain, and is also an ancient place name. See acupoint names: origins, meanings, and translations.

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