Acupoint · Acupressure only

Cuanzhu

攒竹 cuán zhú

Location

Standard location. On the head, in the depression at the medial end of the eyebrow.

How to find it. Place the pad of an index finger at the inner end of the eyebrow and feel for the small notch on the upper edge of the orbital bone, just above and slightly outward from the inner corner of the eye.

The notch is the landmark, and it lies on the bone. If the finger slides down towards the eye it has gone past the point.

Acupressure

How

Press upward and slightly inward, under the brow bone, with the pad of the index finger.

Hold

20 to 30 seconds on each side.

Frequency

Once or twice a day, and whenever the eyes are tired.

In a sequence

Opens the eye sequence, then Sibai (ST-2) below the eye and out to Taiyang (EX-HN5) at the temple.

What it is used for

Skin and face

A heavy, aching brow after close work or poor sleep.
The inner end of a frown line between the brows.
Under-eye work, where it is paired with Sibai (ST-2) on dark-circles.
The first point of the eye sequence on facial-acupressure.

Actions

Expels wind from the head
Clears heat from the head and eyes
Benefits the eyes and eases strain
Relieves frontal headache and a heavy brow

Practitioner note

Needling is a practitioner procedure and is not described on this page. Where it is relevant to a treatment, the beauty page for that practice explains what a practitioner does.

Safety

Safety and when to get help

Never press downwards onto the eyeball. The direction is up, under the brow.
Light pressure only. The bone edge is close to the surface.
Do not press on a stye, a chalazion or any infected area near the eye.
If you have glaucoma or have had recent eye surgery, ask your practitioner before working the eye area.
Hegu (LI-4), used with this point, is classically avoided in pregnancy and is not pressed during pregnancy.

Used with

Sibai (ST-2) Yintang (GV24+) Hegu (LI-4)

Common questions

Is it Cuanzhu or Zanzhu?

The same point. Cuanzhu is the pinyin form used in the WHO standard; Zanzhu is an older romanisation still common in English texts.

Which direction do I press?

Upward, into the notch under the inner end of the eyebrow, never down towards the eye.

Can I press it if my eyes are tired from screens?

It is traditionally used for exactly that, with light pressure and a few slow breaths. If the tiredness comes with pain, redness or a change in vision, see a doctor.

How it is understood

Cuanzhu is the first point of the Bladder channel on the face, and the channel starts at the inner corner of the eye, so the point sits right where that line begins. The tradition uses it for the eyes and the front of the head: eye strain with blurred or tired vision, frontal headache, a blocked nose, and a sense that the brow is heavy. Because it is the inner anchor of the eyebrow, it opens the eye sequence in a facial routine.

Sources

Guidelines and standards

BL-2 Cuanzhu

On the head, in the depression at the medial end of the eyebrow.

WHO Standard Acupuncture Point Locations in the Western Pacific Region World Health Organization, Regional Office for the Western Pacific, 2008.

Location quoted from the WHO standard. The classical record for this point has not been verified against a primary text here, so it is not quoted.