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BL20

Bladder Channel

Spleen Shu

脾俞Pí Shū

Anatomical location

1.5 cun lateral to the lower border of the spinous process of the eleventh thoracic vertebra (T11), in the space between the eleventh and twelfth thoracic vertebrae.

Main function

Strengthens the Spleen, harmonizes the Stomach, benefits transformation and transportation, resolves Dampness, nourishes the Blood, stops bleeding, strengthens the muscles and the four limbs.

  • Spleen Back-Shu point

Therapeutic indications

  • Abdominal distension and pain
  • poor appetite
  • vomiting
  • diarrhea
  • dysentery
  • jaundice
  • edema
  • a feeling of fullness in the chest
  • fatigue
  • general weakness
  • heavy limbs
  • uterine bleeding
  • irregular menstruation
  • leukorrhea
  • back pain
  • low back pain
  • hepatitis
  • gastritis
  • gastric ulcer
  • anemia
  • gastrointestinal bleeding
  • Indigestion
  • Abdominal distension
  • Hemorrhage
  • Loss of appetite
  • Obsessive disorder (ruminative thinking)
  • Cognitive decline and dementia
  • Multiple sclerosis (Wei syndrome)
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Diabetes mellitus (Xiao Ke)
  • Obesity and overweight
  • Hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol and triglycerides)
  • Hypothyroidism
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease
  • Fatty liver
  • Atopic dermatitis
  • Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting
  • Chemotherapy-induced leukopenia

Name and classical tradition

Pishu, 脾俞, is the Back-Shu point of the Spleen. 脾 is the spleen; 俞 is the transport point. The Lingshu (Spiritual Pivot), in the chapter Bei Shu (背腧), lists it among the Shu points of the organs: «脾腧在十一焦之間», the Shu of the Spleen lies in the space of the eleventh vertebra. Later sources agree on this location, and the Zhenjiu Dacheng (Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion) devotes an entry to it.

It is therefore part of the oldest core of the Back-Shu system, along with BL13, BL15, BL18, and BL23. Just below it is BL21, the Back-Shu point of the Stomach, its paired Fu organ, and beside it, on the outer line, is BL49, Yishe, the «dwelling of the yi», the faculty of thought that the Lingshu associates with the Spleen.

Location of point BL20, Spleen Shu
CC BY-ND 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
View point on the 3D modelBL20 on the anatomy
Needling techniqueOblique insertion 0.5-0.8 cun toward the spine. It can also be needled horizontally toward [[BL21]] (Weishu). Avoid deep inward needling so as not to damage the kidneys.
Depth0.5-0.8 cun
MoxibustionApplicable (3-7 cones or 5-15 minutes)

Patterns that use it · 44

Classical combinations · 2

  • Back-Shu points of the Middle JiaoBack-Shu points of the Spleen and Stomach with the Front-Mu point of the Fu organs: strengthens digestion from the front and the back.
  • Nourish the Sea of BloodInfluential (Hui) point of Blood with the Shu point of the Spleen, which contains it, and the points that generate it.

Basic formulas from the vademecum · 2

View the vademecum

Named functional sets from the school: here the point does not act on its own, but through the role it plays within the maneuver.

  • Tonify the Middle EnergizerThe two Mu points (CV12 for the Stomach, LR13 for the Spleen) with their two Back-Shu points (BL21 and BL20): the Shu-Mu technique applied to the entire Spleen-Stomach axis.
  • WarmingMoxibustion on the Center and the sea of Qi: it warms the Yang of the Middle Jiao and roots it in the lower abdomen.
Cover of the guide “Protocols for the 20 most common patterns”

Free guide · PDF

Protocols for the 20 patterns you see most in practice

Each pattern with its tongue, its pulse, the treatment principle and the points to tonify and disperse. Made for the treatment table, not the bookshelf.

Do you use BL20 with your patients?

In the Clinic you record it in the patient's file, next to the tongue, the pulse and the measurements, so at the next session you know exactly what you used. The Atlas is built in.

See the Clinic