Extra point · Upper Limb
Central Apex
中魁Zhōng KuíAnatomical location
At the midpoint of the proximal interphalangeal joint of the middle finger, dorsal aspect.
Same point as 101PC · Zhōng Kuí — Curious Points catalogMain function
Descends rebellious Stomach Qi.
Therapeutic indications
- Hiccups
- vomiting
- difficulty swallowing
- epistaxis
Name and classical tradition
Zhongkui, 中魁, is the “first of the center”: 中, the middle finger; 魁, the first, the chief, and also the name of the stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper. The point is on the dorsum of the middle finger, over the middle joint, where the knuckle shows when the finger is bent.
The Zhenjiu Dacheng (Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion) describes it among the extra points: «中魁二穴，在中指上第二節骨尖，屈指得之，治五噎，反胃吐食，可灸七壯，宜瀉之», for obstruction of the esophagus and vomiting of food. One of its poems repeats it: «中魁理翻胃而即愈». It also adds a detail worth noting: «陽谿二穴，亦名中魁», Yangxi, LI5, is also called Zhongkui, an alias already recorded in the Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing (Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
