GB 21 Acupuncture Point - Jian Jing - Gall Bladder Meridian

  • Chinese Name Jian Jing
  • English Name Shoulder Well
     
  • Location: On the shoulder directly above the nipple at the midpoint of a line connecting GV 14 and the acromion at the highest point of the shoulder.
     
  • Precautions: No Needle During Pregnancy, No Needle in Patients with a History of Heart Disease.
     
  • Point Associations:
  • Intersection Point of the GB, TH, ST & Yang Wei Meridians
     
  • Actions & Effects:
  • Local point for occipital headache, tight trapezius muscles and/or neck/shoulder pain.
  • Phlegm related issues of the head and neck - embolic stroke, neck lumps, swollen lymph nodes, tumors.
  • Phlegm related issues of the breast and chest - mastitis, breast abscess, asthma, dyspnea.
  • Stongly influence Qi downward - useful for rebellious Qi, cough.
  • Contraindicated in Pregnancy, useful for difficult labor, retained placenta.
  • Gao Wu felt that balancing GB 21's strong descending action with ST 36's strong centering action is important.
  • Tong Ren/Tam Healing System: Release the neck and shoulders and descend energy.
     
  • Gall Bladder Meridian Points (44):
    1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44

Sources and More Information

The information on our site is drawn from our own lecture notes and clinical experience. The following lecture notes were used within this section:

  • Ferro, Barbara: New England School of Acupuncture, Point Location Lecture Notes
  • Harstein, Rachel: New England School of Acupuncture, Actions & Effects Lecture Notes

For a complete list of valuable resources, see our Acupuncture Theory Resources section. The most recommended texts are below:


(GB) Gall Bladder Meridian

All Meridians • Basic Information • Graphic • Locations Chart • Functions Chart

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