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BL23

Bladder Channel

Kidney Shu

肾俞Shèn Shū

Use caution during pregnancy

Back-Shu point of the Kidney, lumbar band. Useful for supporting the Jing, but with a gentle technique and without dispersion.

Anatomical location

1.5 cun lateral to the lower border of the spinous process of the second lumbar vertebra (L2), in the space between the second and third lumbar vertebrae.

Main function

Strengthens the Kidney, nourishes Essence (Jing), benefits the marrow, strengthens the bones, regulates Water, benefits the ears, strengthens the lumbar region and the knees, nourishes Kidney Yin and Yang.

  • Back-Shu point of the Kidney

Therapeutic indications

  • Lumbago
  • weak knees
  • back pain
  • tinnitus
  • deafness
  • hearing loss
  • enuresis
  • dysuria
  • urinary retention
  • edema
  • impotence
  • sterility
  • irregular menstruation
  • leukorrhea
  • spermatorrhea
  • premature ejaculation
  • female infertility
  • asthma
  • cough
  • dyspnea
  • general weakness
  • chronic fatigue
  • premature aging
  • premature gray hair
  • memory loss
  • dizziness
  • vertigo
  • night sweats
  • afternoon fever
  • pain in the lumbar spine
  • sciatica
  • Low back pain
  • Nocturnal emission
  • Menstrual irregularity
  • Urinary frequency
  • Chronic asthma
  • Exhaustion
  • Cognitive decline and dementia
  • Parkinson's disease (tremor due to Internal Wind)
  • Multiple sclerosis (Wei syndrome)
  • Diabetes mellitus (Xiao Ke)
  • Hypothyroidism
  • Kidney stones and renal colic
  • COPD and chronic bronchitis
  • Polycystic ovary syndrome
  • Lumbar disc herniation
  • Ankylosing spondylitis
  • Osteoporosis
  • Alopecia areata
  • Chemotherapy-induced leukopenia
  • Anemia

Name and classical tradition

Shenshu, 肾俞, is the Back-Shu point of the Kidney. 肾 (腎) is the kidney; 俞 is the transport point. It is one of the best-attested Shu points. The Lingshu (Spiritual Pivot), in the chapter Bei Shu (背腧), closes its list of the Shu points of the organs with it: «腎腧在十四焦之間», the Shu of the Kidney lies in the space of the fourteenth vertebra. In the chapter Wei Qi (衛氣), the Lingshu also says of the Foot Shaoyin that its visible branch is «在背俞與舌下兩脈也», at the Back-Shu point and in the two vessels under the tongue. The Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing (Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion) places it «在第十四椎下兩傍各一寸五分».

With BL13, BL15, BL18, and BL20, it completes the five Shu points of the organs listed in the Bei Shu. Beside it, on the outer line, is BL52, Zhishi, the «chamber of the zhi», the will that the Lingshu links with the Kidney.

Location of point BL23, Kidney Shu
CC BY-ND 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
View point on the 3D modelBL23 on the anatomy
Needling techniquePerpendicular insertion 0.8-1.2 cun. It can also be needled obliquely toward the spine. Moxibustion is highly beneficial, direct or indirect depending on the patient's condition.
Depth0.8-1.2 cun
MoxibustionHighly recommended (3-9 cones or 10-30 minutes)

Patterns that use it · 33

Classical combinations · 2

  • Warm Kidney YangKidney Back-Shu point with the Gate of Life (Mingmen): the cauldron of Yang and Jing.
  • Low back painKidney Shu and Gate of Life locally, with BL40 as the distal command point of the back.

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 EnergyRaises the Qi from its root to its summit: GV4 and BL23 kindle the Mingmen, CV6 is the sea of Qi, CV12 and ST36 produce the acquired Qi, and CV17 gathers it in the chest.
  • Tonify Kidney YangPregnancyKindles the Mingmen: KI2 is the Fire point of the Kidney channel, GV4 is the Mingmen itself, BL23 is its Back-Shu point, and CV6 is the sea of Qi. It is the “tonify Yang” technique—fire point plus Back-Shu point—applied to the Kidney and expanded.
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 BL23 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