Large Intestine

LI4

合谷 · Hegu

Union Valley

The classic hand point for head, face, and the start of a cold.

Yuan-source · Command point for the face and mouth

Traditionally avoided in pregnancy

System

Channel: Large Intestine (LI)
Element: Metal
Yin or yang: yang
Organ system: Large Intestine
Region: Hand
Limb rule: Hand Yangming

Open the Large Intestine page

Where it is

On the back of the hand, in the mound between thumb and index finger, level with the middle of the second metacarpal.

Nearby: Muscle between the metacarpals. Stay off the bone. Strong stimulation is traditionally avoided in pregnancy.

Traditionally said to

Yuan-source point and the command point for the face and mouth. Traditionally said to move qi, release the exterior, and ease pain. One of the most cited points in the whole atlas — still not a cure.

What people look up

Pain relief Headache Immunity and colds Stress and shen Local muscle tension Sinus and nose

Acupressure

Pinch the muscle toward the index-finger bone for about 30–90 seconds. Firm, not sharp. Then switch hands.

When not to press: Do not use this point for self-care in pregnancy. Stop if tingling runs up the arm.

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 perpendicular. Body size changes this.

Angle

Perpendicular, or slightly toward the second metacarpal.

Electroacupuncture

Some pain studies have used low-frequency stimulation on this point, often near 2 Hz or a dense-disperse pattern such as 2/100 Hz, at a gentle muscle twitch. Protocols disagree, and the numbers are not a setting to reproduce. No milliamp dose is listed.