Du26

水沟 · Shuigou

Water Trough

The philtrum. Famous, strong, and not a home emergency tool.

Philtrum point, also called Renzhong

Use caution

System

Channel: Du (Du)
Element: Not one of the five
Yin or yang: yang
Organ system: Sea of yang
Region: Head and face
Limb rule: Posterior midline

Open the Du page

Where it is

On the midline of the upper lip, in the philtrum, about one third of the way down from the nose to the lip. Also called Renzhong.

Nearby: Nose and lip. A revival point in first-aid folklore. It is not a substitute for emergency response, CPR, or calling for help.

Traditionally said to

Classically stimulated for collapse and for acute low-back sprain in channel teaching. The back-sprain use is a clinic maneuver, not something to copy from a screen. For fainting, modern first aid comes first.

What people look up

Pain relief Stress and shen

Acupressure

A brief, moderate pinch of the philtrum is what people already do. Do not grind. If someone has collapsed, call for help and follow ordinary first aid.

When not to press: Do not delay emergency care to press a point. Skip broken skin and recent nasal surgery.

About 30–90 seconds is the usual window, unless the step above is shorter. Stop if pain, dizziness, or anything unusual shows up.

Licensed practice only

Needle depth, angle, electroacupuncture

Textbook language for students. Not instructions. A cun is a body-inch on that person, not a ruler inch. Do not needle yourself.

Depth

Oblique upward, often 0.3–0.5 cun. Clinic only. Not a deep point.

Angle

Oblique, upward, under the skin of the philtrum.

Electroacupuncture

Introductory charts rarely assign a standard electroacupuncture setting here. Clinics that use current choose frequency and intensity for that person. No milliamp figure is given, because copying one would be misleading.