Shangxing (GV23)
Shangxing (GV23), “Upper Star”, is a point on the Du Mai (Governing Vessel). It is point 23 of the 27 on the channel. Opens the nose, clears the head and stops nosebleed.
Location
On the head, 1 cun above the anterior hairline, on the median line.
Functions according to tradition
Opens the nose, clears the head and stops nosebleed. A chief point for rhinitis.
Traditional indications
- Rhinitis
- Nosebleed
- Frontal headache
- Red eyes
- Nasal polyps
Indications described by tradition; they do not amount to proven clinical effectiveness for each one.
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.
- BL4 Qucha (Bladder): Frontal headache, Nosebleed
- GB15 Toulinqi (Gallbladder): Red eyes
- BL7 Tongtian (Bladder): Nasal polyps
- EX-HN3 Yintang (Extraordinary points): Frontal headache, Rhinitis
- GB16 Muchuang (Gallbladder): Red eyes
- GB18 Chengling (Gallbladder): Nosebleed
Point profile
- Code
- GV23
- Pinyin name
- Shàng Xīng
- Characters
- 上星
- Translation
- Upper Star
- Meridian
- Du Mai (Governing Vessel)
- Topics
- Nose, Eyes, Head & Neck
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.
