Rugen (ST18)
Rugen (ST18), “Breast Root”, is a point on the Stomach meridian. It is point 18 of the 45 on the channel. Benefits the breast, promotes lactation and descends rebellious Qi.
Location
On the chest, in the fifth intercostal space, 4 cun lateral to the anterior median line.
Functions according to tradition
Benefits the breast, promotes lactation and descends rebellious Qi.
Traditional indications
- Insufficient lactation
- Mastitis
- Chest pain
- Cough
- Hiccup
Indications described by tradition; they do not amount to proven clinical effectiveness for each one.
Precautions
Needle obliquely or transversely: the lung lies beneath.
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.
- SP18 Tianxi (Spleen): Chest pain, Cough, Insufficient lactation, Mastitis
- PC1 Tianchi (Pericardium): Cough, Insufficient lactation, Mastitis
- CV17 Shanzhong (Ren Mai (Conception Vessel)): Chest pain, Insufficient lactation, Mastitis
- KI23 Shenfeng (Kidney): Cough, Mastitis
- KI27 Shufu (Kidney): Chest pain, Cough, Hiccup
- CV18 Yutang (Ren Mai (Conception Vessel)): Chest pain, Cough
Point profile
- Code
- ST18
- Pinyin name
- Rǔ Gēn
- Characters
- 乳根
- Translation
- Breast Root
- Meridian
- Stomach
- Element
- Earth
- Topics
- Breast, Lactation, Chest
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.
