Spleen 4: Gongsun – Prince’s Grandson

Spleen 4, Gongsun, is a point on the Spleen Leg Tai Yin acupuncture channel. It is a hugely important point, helping to keep Qi flowing smoothly in the abdominal cavity. That’s a huge help to the rest of your body, not least to your Heart.

As you’ll read, it has many functions.

• Luo-connecting point of the Spleen channel
• Master point of the Chong mo vessel

Location

On the medial edge of the foot, just distal and inferior to the proximal end of the metatarsal bone of the big toe. Needle where the colour of the skin changes.

Needling Spleen 4

Needle perpendicularly to the skin, depth from one-third cun to 1 cun. The skin here is sensitive so swift insertion is recommended.

Needle Sensation: usually up and/or down the Spleen channel a few inches.

Moxa

Moxibustion: up to 3 cones. Although the skin here is sensitive, in older or frail patients be cautious! Their nerves don’t necessarily inform their brains of burning sensations in time.

Action of Gongsun

• Strengthens the action of the Spleen
• Harmonises the Stomach
• Adjusts and regulates the movement of Qi in the Middle burner. That means it helps to ‘resolve’ stagnation including Blood stasis; reduces formation of gastric acid; lack of appetite; intestinal haemorrhage
• Transforms Damp, including swelling and dropsy
• Spleen 4 is calming – a good point for many mental problems, especially those from worrying
• Master point for the Chong Mo vessel.  Hence excellent for many forms of abdominal problems and problems of the membranes or fascia that wrap and protect your organs. That includes diseases such as pleurisy: menstrual pain; retained placenta. Also, distension from abdominal gas
• Good for Heart pain and problems such as from Heart Fire and/or Wind attacking upwards as in epilepsy and mania
• Analgesic point for pain in both epigastrium and abdomen including dysmenorrhoea

Sedating this point, when appropriate, helps to clear diarrhoea due to excess Damp in the body by encouraging the Spleen to transform fluids.

This point is often used when there is acute enteritis with vomiting and diarrhoea, or when there is bleeding in the upper digestive trace, such as from hematemesis.

Its analgesic qualities help to stop pain.

Spleen 4 is the Spleen’s Luo-connecting channel

From Spleen 4 the luo-connecting channel of the Spleen connects with the Stomach channel and then enters the abdomen where it connects with the Stomach and intestines. Symptoms of …

• Fullness: sticking or lancinating pain in the intestines
• Qi stagnation: drum-like distension of the abdomen
• Counterflow qi: symptoms like those of cholera
• Blood stasis in this channel: abdominal pain and blood in the stools