LU-11 - Lesser Shang
少商 - Shào shāng
Point Region: Thumb
Location & How to Find
Anatomical Location: On the thumb, at the corner of the thumbnail on the side away from the index finger, about 0.1 cun from the corner, where the side edge of the nail meets the line of its base.
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:
- Look at your thumbnail
- Find its corner at the base, on the side away from your index finger
- The point is just beside this corner, where the side of the nail meets its base
How to Apply Pressure
After finding LU-11, touch the skin beside the thumbnail lightly with a fingertip; do not pinch or dig into the nail bed. Skip it if the skin around the nail is broken, infected, or recently injured, and seek medical care for a high fever or severe throat infection.
Traditional Indications
In TCM, this point is traditionally used for:
- Sore throat
- Fever
- Acute throat pain
- Throat infection
Related Health Concerns
Related Acupoints
Select a point to see its location, how to find it, and its traditional uses.
Important Precautions
Avoid this point with:
- Broken skin around nail
- Severe nail infections
- Recent nail injury