PC8 (Laogong, “Palace of Toil”) is the Ying-Spring Point point of the Pericardium Channel Meridian. It is located in the center of the palm, in a depression located where the tip of the middle finger rests when a loose fist is made. This corresponds to the area between the second and third metacarpal bones. It clears Heart Fire, cools the Blood, calms the Shen (spirit), revives consciousness, and harmonizes the Stomach to descend rebellious Qi.
In the center of the palm, in a depression located where the tip of the middle finger rests when a loose fist is made. This corresponds to the area between the second and third metacarpal bones.
Perpendicular insertion 0.3-0.5 cun.
Clears Heart Fire, cools the Blood, calms the Shen (spirit), revives consciousness, and harmonizes the Stomach to descend rebellious Qi.
Heat disease with vexed heart, stifling sensation in the chest with inability to sweat, heat in the palms, heart pain, body heat like fire, pain at the root of the tongue, jaundice with yellow eyes, vomiting, rebellious qi with nausea and retching, urinary difficulty in pregnancy due to Heart qi excess, wind-heat, vexation, sadness, inappropriate laughter, hand numbness (bi), heat disease with no sweat after several days, fright and palpitations, pain in the chest and hypochondria that prevents turning, blood in the urine or stool, nosebleed, thirst, inability to eat or drink, foul breath in adults and children, mouth sores, chest and hypochondriac fullness, sores on the gums in children, wind-stroke, mental and emotional disturbances, body fatigue, small intestinal accumulations, infantile fright and convulsions, infantile malnutrition.
As the Ying-Spring and Fire point of the Pericardium channel, Laogong is a primary point for clearing Heart Fire and calming the spirit. It is highly effective for anxiety, agitation, insomnia, and mania, especially when accompanied by heat signs like a red tongue and rapid pulse. Its ability to cool the blood makes it useful for bleeding due to heat, and its location in the palm makes it a key point for reviving consciousness from fainting or heatstroke.
Classical text; the translation was prepared with AI and is not clinical advice.
《針灸甲乙經》 Zhēnjiǔ Jiǎyǐ Jīng — Systematic Classic of Acupuncture & Moxibustion, c. 256–282 · 卷03 · Source: Wikisource ↗
勞宮者，火也。 一名五裡，在掌中央動脈中，手心主脈之所留也，為滎。 刺入三分，留六呼，灸三壯According to this text, PC8 is the fire point, also called Wuli, located in the centre of the palm at the pulsing vessel, where the hand Xinzhu vessel 'lingers', as the ying-spring point; it is needled 3 fen, retained six breaths, with 3 moxa cones.
《十四經發揮》 Shísì Jīng Fāhuī — Exposition of the Fourteen Channels, 1341 · Source: Wikisource ↗
勞宮：在掌中央，屈無名指取之，資生經雲，屈中指。 以今觀之，莫若屈中指無名指兩者之間取之為妥According to this text, PC8 lies in the centre of the palm and is found by bending the ring finger; the Zisheng jing says by bending the middle finger, and the author judges it best to take it between the bent middle and ring fingers.
《金匱要略》 Jīnguì Yàolüè — Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet, c. 200 CE · 20 · Source: Wikisource ↗
婦人傷胎，懷身腹滿，不得小便，從腰以下重，如有水氣狀，懷身七月，太陰當養不養，以心氣實，當刺瀉勞宮及關元The text records that for a pregnant woman in the seventh month with abdominal fullness, inability to urinate and heaviness below the waist as if from water qi, because the Taiyin fails to nourish and the heart qi is excess, PC8 and Guanyuan should be needled with draining.
PC8 is one of 9 points on the Pericardium Channel Meridian. Nearby points:
PC8 (Laogong) is located in the center of the palm, in a depression located where the tip of the middle finger rests when a loose fist is made. This corresponds to the area between the second and third metacarpal bones.
PC8 clears Heart Fire, cools the Blood, calms the Shen (spirit), revives consciousness, and harmonizes the Stomach to descend rebellious Qi. Common clinical indications include heat disease with vexed heart, stifling sensation in the chest with inability to sweat, heat in the palms, heart pain, body heat like fire, pain at the root of the tongue, jaundice with yellow eyes, vomiting, rebellious qi with nausea and retching, urinary difficulty in pregnancy due to Heart qi excess, wind-heat, vexation, sadness, inappropriate laughter, hand numbness (bi), heat disease with no sweat after several days, fright and palpitations, pain in the chest and hypochondria that prevents turning, blood in the urine or stool, nosebleed, thirst, inability to eat or drink, foul breath in adults and children, mouth sores, chest and hypochondriac fullness, sores on the gums in children, wind-stroke, mental and emotional disturbances, body fatigue, small intestinal accumulations, infantile fright and convulsions, infantile malnutrition.
Perpendicular insertion 0.3-0.5 cun. Caution: One classical source (Ming Tang) warns against needling more than once, as it may induce deficiency. The same source forbids moxibustion, claiming it causes flesh to grow. Another source (Qian Jin Yao Fang) lists it as a 'Ghost Point' (Gui Lu).
PC8 is a point on the Pericardium Channel Meridian (Xīnbāo Jīng).