Search in acupoints
ST-35 Calf’s Nose
犊鼻 〔犢鼻〕 dú bí
Channel: ST, foot yáng brightness (yáng míng) stomach channel
Modern location: An acupoint located at the knee, level with the inferior border of the patella, in the depression lateral to the patellar ligament.
Classical location: Below the kneecap, above the lower leg bone, in the depression lateral to the large sinew that looks like an ox’s nose, hence the name. From
Local anatomy: The arterial and venous network around the knee joint. The lateral sural cutaneous nerve and the articular branch of the common peroneal nerve.
Action: Frees the channels and quickens the network vessels; courses wind and disperses cold; disperses swelling and relieves pain.
Modern indications: Knee pain; paralysis of the lower limb with inhibited bending and stretching; leg qì (jiǎo qì).
Classical indications: Swelling in the region of Calf’s Nose.
Needle stimulus: Needling: 0.5‒1.0 cùn oblique insertion slightly toward medial side. Moxa: 5‒7 cones; pole 5‒15 min.
Needle sensation: Distension and heat in the knee joint.
Point name meaning:
A calf is the young of the ox, which in the Yì Jīng is associated with the ☷ trigram called 坤 (kūn) associated with the earth phase and thus the stomach. The kneecap and the tendon just below the kneecap resemble a calf’s nose when viewed from the front. The point position corresponds to the lateral nostril; hence the name. A further expansion of this image is found in the name for the two points on either side of the tendon in front of the knee, these are called: 膝眼 (xī yǎn) Knee Eyes. See