Lung 1 Zhongfu (Central Palace) 中府

Classifications:

• Front Mu of the Lung
• One of the "59 Piercings" for Clearing Heat (Su Wen, Ch. 61)
• Meeting of Lung with Spleen, Large Intestine Divergent, and Lung Divergent Channels

Location & Needling:

• Location: On the lateral aspect of the chest, in the first intercostal space, 6 cun lateral to the midline, 1 cun inferior to LU-2 Yunmen.
• Needling Technique:
  • Modern Method: Transverse-oblique insertion 0.5 - 1 cun medially along the intercostal space.
  • Classical Needling:
    • "The Taiyin usually has much Qi and little Blood" (Su Wen, Ch. 24), implying this channel should normally be needled.
    • "The hand Yin and Yang receive their Qi via nearby paths so their Qi arrives swiftly. The depth of piercing must not exceed 2 fen and must not remain inserted for longer than one exhalation" (Ling Shu, Ch. 12).
    • "Locate it with (the patient) lying supine. It is needled to a depth of three fen, (the needle) is retained for a duration of five exhalations, and it is warmed with moxibustion, five cones" (Huangfu Mi, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing, 3rd Century).
• Warnings:
  • Deep perpendicular needling or oblique insertion carries a substantial risk of pneumothorax.

TCM Actions:

• Disseminates and descends Lung-Qi, alleviating cough and wheezing.
• Transforms Phlegm, clears Heat, and regulates the water passages.
• Descends Stomach-Qi.

Indications:

• Lung Patterns:
  • Cough, coughing turbid Phlegm, coughing blood and pus, dyspnoea, wheezing, asthma.
  • Fullness of the chest, chest pain, oppression of the chest, difficulty breathing.
  • Breathing with raised shoulders, diminished Qi with inability to lie down.
• Heat Patterns:
  • Heat in the chest, aversion to cold, chills and fever, sweating.
  • Throat Painful Obstruction (Hou Bi), nasal congestion, swelling of the face.
• Digestive & Stomach Patterns:
  • Difficult ingestion, vomiting, Gall Bladder-Heat vomiting, retching, abdominal distension.
• Musculoskeletal & Other Conditions:
  • Skin pain, Running Piglet Qi (Ben Tun Qi) with lumbar pain.
  • Goitre, pain of the upper back and shoulder.

Comments:

LU-1 is the primary Front Mu point for treating Excess patterns in the Lungs, dispersing fullness, resolving Phlegm, and clearing Heat. It is commonly used when an external pathogen has penetrated internally. LU-1 is particularly effective in the second stage of whooping cough, when Lung-Heat predominates.

Combinations for Treatment:

• LU-1 + BL-13 Feishu → Clears Lung-Heat or strengthens Lung-Qi.
• LU-1 + ST-36 Zusanli + SP-3 Taibai → Tonifies the Lungs and Spleen, supporting Qi generation.
• LU-1 + P-6 Neiguan → Moves Lung-Qi and relieves chest pain from Heart-Blood stasis.
• LU-1 + ST-40 Fenglong → Resolves Phlegm in the chest.