ST-18 - Root of the Breast

Location & How to Find

Anatomical Location: On the front of the chest, in the fifth space between the ribs, 4 cun out from the midline. In men, it is where the nipple line meets the fifth rib space; in women, at the midpoint of the crease under the breast.

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. Men: follow the line down from the nipple to the next rib space below it
2. Women: find the crease under the breast
3. The point is at the midpoint of that crease

(Illustration coming soon)

How to Apply Pressure

Once ST-18 is located at the under-breast crease or fifth rib space, use a light fingertip hold on the surface and never press into breast tissue or between the ribs. Skip it during an acute breast infection or after breast surgery, and check with your care team about breast concerns or cancer.

Important Precautions

Avoid this point with:

• Acute breast infections
• Breast cancer
• Recent breast surgery
• Severe mastitis

Take care:

• Avoid during acute breast inflammation
• Consult healthcare provider for breast concerns