LU-1 - Middle Palace

中府 - Zhōng fǔ

Point Region: Chest

LU

Lung Meridian

手太阴肺经 - Shǒu Tàiyīn Fèi Jīng

Location & How to Find

Anatomical Location: On the front of the chest, level with the first space between the ribs, 6 cun out from the midline of the chest, just outside the hollow below the collarbone. It lies 1 cun below LU-2.

Distances are in cun, a unit that scales with each person's body. As a guide, the width of your thumb at its joint is 1 cun, and your four fingers held together, measured across the middle joints, are 3 cun.

How to Locate:

  1. Find LU-2 in the hollow below the outer end of your collarbone
  2. Move one thumb-width straight down
  3. The point is level with the first space between the ribs, below the collarbone
LU-1 (Middle Palace) acupressure point location: On the front of the chest, level with the first space between the ribs, 6 cun out from the midline of the chest, just outside the hollow below the collarbone.

How to Apply Pressure

Once you have located LU-1, rest your fingertips lightly against the upper chest; do not press deeply between the ribs. Skip it after recent chest surgery or a chest or rib injury. Severe breathing difficulty or chest pain needs urgent medical care, not acupressure.

Traditional Indications

In TCM, this point is traditionally used for:

  • Cough
  • Chest fullness
  • Chest congestion
  • Respiratory problems

Related Health Concerns

Cold and Flu Onset

Select a point to see its location, how to find it, and its traditional uses.

Traditionally combined with:

LU-1 + CV-17
Middle of the Chest
LU-1 + BL-13
Lung Shu

Important Precautions

Avoid this point with:

  • Recent chest surgery
  • Severe respiratory distress
  • Chest wall injuries
  • Recent chest or rib injury