Acupoint · Acupressure only
Shuigou
水沟
Location
Standard location. On the face, at the midpoint of the philtrum midline. Alternative location: at the junction of the upper one third and lower two thirds of the philtrum midline.
How to find it. On the midline groove between the base of the nose and the upper lip, at its midpoint. It is on the surface of the philtrum, not inside the nose and not on the lip itself.
The point is on the midline. It is also a classical emergency point, which is why it is described here as a reference point and not as part of any routine.
Acupressure
What it is used for
Skin and face
- Not used for the appearance of the skin
- Named here to explain why it is absent from the routines on facial-acupressure
- A nearby point to Chengjiang REN-24 on the mouth and chin
Actions
- Classically used to revive consciousness
- Acts on the face and the nose
- Used in the tradition for low back pain
- A reference point for the philtrum region
Practitioner note
Safety
Safety and when to get help
- It is a classical emergency point. Pressing it is not first aid, and collapse, seizure or loss of consciousness is a medical emergency: call emergency services.
- Pressing above the lip has no place in a beauty or self-care routine.
- Not for use on broken or infected skin at the philtrum.
- Needling this point is a practitioner procedure and is not described on this page.
Used with
Common questions
Why is Shuigou not in the acupressure routine?
Because its classical use is an emergency one and pressing above the lip has no place in a beauty routine. Including it would invite people to treat collapse with acupressure.
What should I do if someone collapses?
Call emergency services. That is the advice, and a point on the philtrum does not replace it.
Where is the point, out of interest?
On the midline of the philtrum, halfway between the base of the nose and the upper lip.
How it is understood
Shuigou sits on the philtrum, on the midline between nose and mouth. In the classical record it is a revival point, used in collapse and loss of consciousness, and it is also used for the face and the lower back. Because its most important use is an emergency one, it is a poor self-care point: pressing it is not first aid, and a page that encouraged it would invite people to treat a medical emergency with a finger. It is linked from this section's point index and as a nearby point on the Chengjiang page, and it is not part of the facial acupressure routine.
Sources
Guidelines and standards
DU-26 Shuigou
On the face, at the midpoint of the philtrum midline. Alternative location: at the junction of the upper one third and lower two thirds of the philtrum midline.
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.