Gallbladder

GB20

风池 · Fengchi

Wind Pool

The skull-base hollows for neck headache and “wind.”

Major point of the nape

Use caution

System

Channel: Gallbladder (GB)
Element: Wood
Yin or yang: yang
Organ system: Gallbladder
Region: Neck
Limb rule: Foot Shaoyang

Open the Gallbladder page

Where it is

At the base of the skull, in the hollow between the trapezius and the sternocleidomastoid, lateral to the thick midline muscle. Both sides.

Nearby: Skull base, vertebral artery, and the upper spinal cord are deeper and medial. The safe self-care direction is into the muscle, slightly toward the eyes — not straight up into the head.

Traditionally said to

The point most people mean by “the hollows under the skull.” Traditionally said to dispel wind, ease occipital headache, and clear the head. Very easy to over-press.

What people look up

Headache Local muscle tension Immunity and colds Stress and shen Memory and focus Dizziness Eyes Sinus and nose

Acupressure

Thumbs in the hollows, direction slightly toward the opposite eye or simply into the muscle, 30–60 seconds. Mild to moderate. Both sides or one at a time.

When not to press: Stop if you feel dizzy, nauseated, or you see spots. Do not press after a neck injury.

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

Common textbook range: about 0.5–1 cun, aimed toward the tip of the nose or the opposite eye. Never upward toward the foramen magnum. Depth past the chart is a known danger.

Angle

Toward the nose, slightly inferior — not cephalad.

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.