BL18 (Gān Shū, “Liver Shu”) is the Back-Shu point of the Bladder Meridian. It is located on the back, 1.5 cun lateral to the lower border of the spinous process of the ninth thoracic vertebra (T9). It regulates and spreads Liver Qi, nourishes Liver Blood and Yin, clears Liver and Gallbladder Damp-Heat, subdues internal Wind, benefits the eyes, and relaxes the sinews.
On the back, 1.5 cun lateral to the lower border of the spinous process of the ninth thoracic vertebra (T9).
Insert obliquely toward the spine, 0.5 to 1.0 cun. Deep perpendicular or oblique lateral insertion carries a risk of pneumothorax.
Regulates and spreads Liver Qi, nourishes Liver Blood and Yin, clears Liver and Gallbladder Damp-Heat, subdues internal Wind, benefits the eyes, and relaxes the sinews.
Jaundice, nosebleed, post-febrile disease eye dimness, tearing, eye dizziness, shortness of breath, coughing up blood, upward-staring eyes, cough, dry mouth, cold hernia, cold and heat in the sinews, spasm, body reversal, headache, eyebrow pain, mania, epilepsy, rising up with blurry vision, white eye film, cough causing chest pain, cold hernia with lower abdominal pain, spitting blood, shortness of breath, Liver wind with inability to lower the head, bluish complexion around the eyes and forehead, abdominal accumulations and masses with pain, shoulder pain, muscle spasms with alternating cold and heat, muscle contractions pulling the hands, muscle contractions entering the abdomen, concurrent Taiyang and Shaoyang disease with headache, stiff neck, dizziness, and hardness below the heart, epilepsy, muscle pain with spasms and pulling, cough with fullness and tightness in the ribs, inability to breathe or turn side to side, rib and navel pain, muscle tightness and pain, upward-staring eyes, dizziness, blurry vision, shoulder and neck pain, fright and mania, stuffy nose, cough causing chest pain with cold and heat in the sinews, spitting blood, shortness of breath, sour nose, half-body paralysis, mental confusion, fainting, mania, seizures, sadness and weeping, chest fullness, vomiting, inability to eat, red skin eruptions, seminal emission, turbid urine, forgetfulness, insufficient heart qi in children leading to inability to speak for years, body reversal, liver wind with abdominal distention, poor digestion, vomiting blood, emaciation, aversion to eating, dark complexion, chronic cough, turbid red urine, bone cold and heat, difficulty urinating, yellow horse jaundice, all types of poison, heart wind with abdominal fullness, indigestion, acid reflux, weak limbs, eye dizziness, shoulder and subcostal pain, lower abdominal tension, eye diseases.
As the Back-Shu point of the Liver, BL18 is a fundamental point for treating any disharmony related to the Liver organ system. It is used for conditions of excess, such as Liver Qi stagnation causing pain and irritability, and for deficiency, such as Liver Blood or Yin deficiency leading to eye problems and muscle spasms. Its classical indications cover a wide range, from psycho-emotional disorders like mania and epilepsy to digestive issues, eye diseases, and musculoskeletal problems, reflecting the Liver's broad sphere of influence.
Classical text; the translation was prepared with AI and is not clinical advice.
《諸病源候論》 Zhūbìng Yuánhòu Lùn — Treatise on the Origins and Symptoms of Diseases, Chao Yuanfang, 610 · 一、中风候 · Source: Wikisource ↗
肝中风，但踞坐，不得低头，若绕两目连额上，色微有青，唇青面黄者可治，急灸肝俞百壮The text records that in liver wind-stroke, where the patient can only squat and cannot lower the head, if the area around the eyes up to the forehead is faintly bluish, with bluish lips and yellow face, the case was considered treatable and BL18 was promptly moxibusted with 100 cones.
《針灸資生經》 Zhēnjiǔ Zīshēng Jīng — Classic of Nourishing Life with Acupuncture & Moxibustion, 1220 · Source: Wikisource ↗
肝俞 二穴．在九椎下兩旁各寸半．針三分．留六呼．灸三壯．It is located 1.5 cun on each side below the ninth vertebra, according to this text; BL18 is needled 3 fen, retained 6 breaths, with 3 moxa cones.
《針灸逢源》 Zhēnjiǔ Féngyuán — Sources of Acupuncture & Moxibustion, Li Xuechuan, 1815 · 卷四 · 經穴考正 · 足太陽膀胱經穴考 · Source: jicheng.tw ↗
肝腧 在九椎下兩旁開脊中二寸（針三分。 灸七壯○刺中肝五日死According to this text, BL18 lies on both sides below the ninth vertebra, 2 cun from the spine's centre; needle 3 fen, moxa 7 cones, and it warns that piercing the liver leads to death in five days.
《傷寒論》 Shānghán Lùn — Treatise on Cold Damage, c. 200 CE · bian-tai-yang-mai-zheng-bing · Source: Wikisource ↗
太陽少陽併病，心下硬，頸項強而眩者，當刺大椎、肺俞、肝俞，慎勿下之The text records that in combined taiyang and shaoyang disease with hardness below the heart, stiff neck and dizziness, one should needle Dazhui, Feishu and BL18, and must not use purging.
BL18 is one of 67 points on the Bladder Meridian. Nearby points:
BL18 (Gān Shū) is located on the back, 1.5 cun lateral to the lower border of the spinous process of the ninth thoracic vertebra (T9).
BL18 regulates and spreads Liver Qi, nourishes Liver Blood and Yin, clears Liver and Gallbladder Damp-Heat, subdues internal Wind, benefits the eyes, and relaxes the sinews. Common clinical indications include jaundice, nosebleed, post-febrile disease eye dimness, tearing, eye dizziness, shortness of breath, coughing up blood, upward-staring eyes, cough, dry mouth, cold hernia, cold and heat in the sinews, spasm, body reversal, headache, eyebrow pain, mania, epilepsy, rising up with blurry vision, white eye film, cough causing chest pain, cold hernia with lower abdominal pain, spitting blood, shortness of breath, Liver wind with inability to lower the head, bluish complexion around the eyes and forehead, abdominal accumulations and masses with pain, shoulder pain, muscle spasms with alternating cold and heat, muscle contractions pulling the hands, muscle contractions entering the abdomen, concurrent Taiyang and Shaoyang disease with headache, stiff neck, dizziness, and hardness below the heart, epilepsy, muscle pain with spasms and pulling, cough with fullness and tightness in the ribs, inability to breathe or turn side to side, rib and navel pain, muscle tightness and pain, upward-staring eyes, dizziness, blurry vision, shoulder and neck pain, fright and mania, stuffy nose, cough causing chest pain with cold and heat in the sinews, spitting blood, shortness of breath, sour nose, half-body paralysis, mental confusion, fainting, mania, seizures, sadness and weeping, chest fullness, vomiting, inability to eat, red skin eruptions, seminal emission, turbid urine, forgetfulness, insufficient heart qi in children leading to inability to speak for years, body reversal, liver wind with abdominal distention, poor digestion, vomiting blood, emaciation, aversion to eating, dark complexion, chronic cough, turbid red urine, bone cold and heat, difficulty urinating, yellow horse jaundice, all types of poison, heart wind with abdominal fullness, indigestion, acid reflux, weak limbs, eye dizziness, shoulder and subcostal pain, lower abdominal tension, eye diseases.
Insert obliquely toward the spine, 0.5 to 1.0 cun. Deep perpendicular or oblique lateral insertion carries a risk of pneumothorax. Caution: Overlies the thoracic cavity — risk of PNEUMOTHORAX. Needle obliquely or transversely, never deeply or perpendicularly toward the chest wall. The Su Wen, as quoted in the Zi Sheng Jing, warns: "Puncturing into the Liver, death in five days." This highlights the classical awareness of the danger of needling too deeply at this location.
BL18 is a point on the Bladder Meridian (Zú Tài Yáng Páng Guāng Jīng).