Conception Vessel 14: Juque : Great Palace Gateway

Conception Vessel 11: Ren 11
Conception Vessel 11 - Ren 11

Key Learning Points

  • Soreness at Conception Vessel 14 suggests an underlying problem with your Heart zang energy
  • It also regulates Lungs and Stomach
  • The point is a way to treat both your heart organ and your mental health
  • It can be a great point to help disperse Phlegm

Conception Vessel 14 is the 14th acupuncture point on the Conception Vessel, also known as Ren-14 or Juque, Great Palace Gateway, meaning the ‘Gateway to the Heart’. 

Location of Juque

6 cun above the umbilicus on the midline, ie 2 cun inferior to the sterno-costal notch. 

Finding this point isn’t always easy as people’s body shape and zyphoid processes vary in length.

 

Conception Vessel 14 Full Torso
Copyright Acupuncture-Points.org

 

If you can find the zyphoid process tip, the point is usually just inferior to it, and when the point is in need of treatment, it may be a little tense, or knotted, or slack, or it may feel ‘podgy’.

In each case it may be slightly sore. Also try gently pinching it. 

However, in very ticklish people, any probing or pinching here can too uncomfortable and a firm, gentle touch is needed: easier said than done.

Needling Conception Vessel 14

Needle obliquely and inferiorly to avoid penetrating either the Heart or Liver organ, should either be enlarged. Maximum depth 1 cun if vertically, or 1.5 cun if diagonally downwards. 

Needling sensation

Locally, gripping, or upwards into the chest cavity. 

 

Moxa: up to 15 cones.

ACTIONS of Conception Vessel 14

  • Descends HeartLung and Stomach Qi
  • Harmonises Heart and Stomach 
  • Helps to clear Phlegm, open the orifices, and calm the Shen 

Descends Heart Qi

This point is the Front Mu or Collecting point for the Heart, the point where the heart organ condition can be most easily revealed and treated. By ‘revealed’ I mean that pain at this point suggests some kind of tension or disharmony in the heart organ. Careful examination of the tongue and reading of the pulse may tell you more. 

Emotional Strain

In treating the Heart and the heart organ, we must think about it from the Chinese medical point of view. 

Firstly, the Heart seldom goes out of order on its own. There is almost always some other factor, frequently emotional, underlying Heart disharmony. 

brown egg

If emotional, that disharmony may have occurred suddenly, as after a great shock or fright, but is much more likely to have arisen following a long period of other emotional turmoil, typically of fear, anger or suppression of feelings or needs.

Whatever the emotion at the root of the matter, ideally it should be treated first, because that may by itself resolve the problem. Not treating it won’t cure the problem, merely palliate it. 

Physical Strain

However although, at least in the more developed countries, emotional issues underlie most Heart energy problems, that’s not to say that they always do, or that other factors may not be as important. 

A huge shock, or extreme physical exertion in one unused to it or in someone very unfit, or who has other physical problems, eg asthma, may dissipate or exhaust Heart Qi.

A period of high fevers may drain the body’s Yin resources leading to Heart Yin deficiency, and so on.

Conception Vessel 14 is definitely helpful for this, because it also treats Stomach Qi, and healthy Stomach Qi can lead to healthy Spleen Qi and potentially healthy Blood and Yin

Heart Qi ascending

Heart Qi should descend. When it rises, various mental conditions can arise such as agitation, mania, seizures, mental disease and over-revelatory behaviour. As Heart Qi descends, perhaps through use of Conception Vessel 14, the patient becomes calmer and clearer-headed. 

Heart Qi deficiency

When Heart Qi is deficient, the symptoms are those of

  • low spirits,
  • possibly depression, and
  • low energy. There may be
  • palpitations, and/or slow heartbeat
  • causing anxiety.
  • … and circulation may be poor.

 

man heating clothing on fire

Tonifying this point, perhaps with moxa and needle, can have an immediate revitalising effect on mind and body.

Insomnia can also be treated here, although use other points should too. Insomnia can arise from a range of Heart disorders such as deficiency of Heart Blood or of Heart YinHeart Yin deficiency with empty Heat, or Phlegm-Fire harassing the Heart. This point can help to harmonise all these issues. 

Lung Qi

Conception Vessel 14 is also important in treating Lung Qi and the Lung organ. The Lung meridian starts in the epigastrium and with Conception Vessel 12, this point has a major role in strengthening and harmonising the Lung. 

Poor breathing patterns, asthma, fullness in the chest with difficulty breathing, or chest pain and cough may all respond to this point. For cough without other obvious cause, needling this point with gentle dispersing method for a while has been known to stop the cough.

Also consider Conception Vessel 14 for Lung Phlegm Cold. Here I would use moxa as well.

Diaphragm

man in white long sleeve shirt and blue denim jeans sitting on brown wooden fence during

This point also calms the diaphragm, for example in asthma and hiccough. It helps people breathe better and more deeply. 

Stomach Qi

Many digestive issues, from fullness, epigastric swelling, burping and eructations to pain and lack of or excess of hunger come under disharmony of Stomach Qi. This point helps nearly all of them, though when there is an emotional component, points chosen from 5 Phase (also called 5 Element theory) will improve results. 

Phlegm

Phlegm can seriously confuse the Heart, and cause depression, phobias, uncontrollable behaviour, (typically crying and laughing, ravings), bad sleep and much else including loss of consciousness. 

Juque is specifically very effective for Phlegm patterns, particularly with other points, such as Kidney 9 on the Yin Linking channel.

Conception Vessel 14 helps clear phlegm and calm the Shen.

NB Please don’t needle this point on yourself! It’s not easy to find the point accurately and needling too deep could cause you problems. See an acupuncturist!

To access other points on the Conception Vessel, click below:

 

Ren-1HuiyinYin Meeting Place
Ren-2QuguCrooked Bone
Ren-3ZhongjiUtmost Middle
Ren-4GuanyuanSource Gate
Ren-5ShimenStonegate
Ren-6QihaiSea of Qi
Ren-7Yin JiaoYin Intersection/td>
Ren-8ShenqueSpirit Palace Pathway
Ren-9ShuifenWater Separation
Ren-10XiawanLower Stomach Duct
Ren-11JianliEarthing Within
Ren-12ZhongwanUtmost Middle
Ren-13ShangwanUpper Stomach Duct
Ren-14JuqueGreat Palace Gateway
Ren-15JiuweiDovetail
Ren-16ZhongtingCentral Hall
Ren-17ShangzhongMiddle of the Chest
Ren-18YutangJade Hall
Ren-19ZigongPurple Palace
Ren-20HuagaiFlower Covering
Ren-21XuanjiJade Pearl
Ren-22TiantuHeavenly Rushing
Ren-23LianquanClear Spring
Ren-24ChengjiangFluid Container
Jonathan Brand colours

Stay in Touch!

No spam, only notifications about new articles and updates.

The latest books
Book a Consultation
Book Consultation
Acupuncture consultation

Book a Video consultation if you want to know more about your symptoms

 
$MMT = window.$MMT || {}; $MMT.cmd = $MMT.cmd || [];$MMT.cmd.push(function(){ $MMT.display.slots.push(["d2755178-d048-4d00-aedf-899470b89852"]); })

Related Articles

photo of person showing silver-colored ring
Causes of disease

Knee Pain

Knee pain has five main causes. It’s certainly worth trying acupuncture before you resort to surgery!

Read More »

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *