Naohu (GV17)
Naohu (GV17), “Brain's Door”, is a point on the Du Mai (Governing Vessel). It is point 17 of the 27 on the channel. Clears the head, benefits the eyes and extinguishes Wind.
Location
On the head, in the depression above the external occipital protuberance.
Functions according to tradition
Clears the head, benefits the eyes and extinguishes Wind.
Traditional indications
- Occipital headache
- Dizziness
- Neck stiffness
- Epilepsy
- Blurred vision
Indications described by tradition; they do not amount to proven clinical effectiveness for each one.
What its classification means
Two or more channels meet here, so it is credited with acting on all of them.
Precautions
No specific precautions are described beyond the general ones for acupuncture. Needling must always be performed by a trained professional.
Points on other channels with similar indications
They share several traditional indications with this point. Comparing them helps understand why one or the other is chosen.
- GB19 Naokong (Gallbladder): Dizziness, Epilepsy, Neck stiffness, Occipital headache
- BL5 Wuchu (Bladder): Blurred vision, Dizziness, Epilepsy
- TE16 Tianyou (San Jiao (Triple Burner)): Blurred vision, Dizziness, Neck stiffness
- BL65 Shugu (Bladder): Dizziness, Neck stiffness, Occipital headache
- BL3 Meichong (Bladder): Dizziness, Epilepsy
- BL6 Chengguang (Bladder): Blurred vision, Dizziness
Point profile
- Code
- GV17
- Pinyin name
- Nǎo Hù
- Characters
- 脑户
- Translation
- Brain's Door
- Meridian
- Du Mai (Governing Vessel)
- Classification
- Crossing point
- Topics
- Head & Neck, Eyes, Epilepsy
Health notice. Educational and study content. It describes concepts of Traditional Chinese Medicine and does not replace diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional. Needling, medicinal herbs and invasive techniques must be applied by trained professionals. Safety guide.
