Youmen (KI21)
Youmen (KI21), “Dark Gate”, is a point on the Kidney meridian. It is point 21 of the 27 on the channel. Descends rebellious Stomach Qi and stops vomiting.
Location
On the upper abdomen, 6 cun above the umbilicus, 0.5 cun lateral to the anterior median line.
Functions according to tradition
Descends rebellious Stomach Qi and stops vomiting.
Traditional indications
- Vomiting
- Morning sickness
- Epigastric pain
- Diarrhoea
- Insufficient lactation
Indications described by tradition; they do not amount to proven clinical effectiveness for each one.
What its classification means
At this point the channel crosses the Penetrating Vessel (Chong Mai, 冲脉), called the “sea of Blood”, one of the eight extraordinary vessels.
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.
- CV13 Shangwan (Ren Mai (Conception Vessel)): Epigastric pain, Vomiting
- ST19 Burong (Stomach): Epigastric pain, Vomiting
- ST24 Huaroumen (Stomach): Epigastric pain, Vomiting
- ST20 Chengman (Stomach): Epigastric pain, Vomiting
- BL21 Weishu (Bladder): Epigastric pain, Vomiting
- BL47 Hunmen (Bladder): Diarrhoea, Vomiting
Point profile
- Code
- KI21
- Pinyin name
- Yōu Mén
- Characters
- 幽门
- Translation
- Dark Gate
- Meridian
- Kidney
- Element
- Water
- Classification
- Chong Mai
- Topics
- Stomach, Nausea, Lactation
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.
