Lung 3 Tianfu (Heavenly Palace) 天府

Classifications:

• Window of Heaven Point

Meetings:

• Meeting of the Lung with the Large Intestine Divergent and Lung Divergent Channels

Location & Needling:

• Location: On the anterolateral aspect of the upper arm, 3 cun inferior to the axillary fold and 6 cun superior to LU-5 Chize, in the depression between the lateral border of the biceps brachii muscle and the shaft of the humerus.
• Needling Technique: Perpendicular insertion, 0.5 - 1 cun.
• Warnings:
  • The Systematic Classic states that moxibustion may cause counterflow and disordered Qi.
• Classical Needling:
  • Su Wen ( Chapter 24): "The Taiyin usually has much Qi and little Blood," implying careful needling.
  • Ling Shu ( Chapter 12): "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."
  • Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing: "It is needled to a depth of four fen and retained for a duration of three exhalations."

Actions:

• Clears Lung Heat and descends Lung Qi.
• Cools Blood and stops bleeding.
• Calms the corporeal soul (Po).

Indications:

Respiratory & Hematological Disorders:

• Wheezing, dyspnoea, cough, asthma.
• Nosebleed, spitting blood, coughing blood, excessive spittle.

Mental & Emotional Disorders:

• Somnolence, insomnia, sadness, weeping, disorientation, forgetfulness.
• Melancholy, "floating corpse ghost talk" (a classical reference to severe mental confusion), and "crying ghost talk" (uncontrolled emotional disturbances).

Head & Neck Disorders:

• Goitre, swelling of the throat.
• Visual dizziness, short-sightedness.

Skin & Wind Disorders:

• Malarial disorders (Nue).
• Purple-white wind blotches (pityriasis versicolor).

Musculoskeletal Disorders:

• Pain of the inner (antero-lateral) aspect of the upper arm.
• Swelling and distension of the body.

Comments:

• LU-3 is a Window of Heaven point, regulating the ascending and descending of Qi between the body and head. This explains its effectiveness in treating mental-emotional disturbances, particularly those related to the corporeal soul (Po), such as excessive grief, sadness, and forgetfulness.
• The classical references to “ghost talk” highlight its use in severe emotional or spiritual disturbances.
• Its ability to clear heat and cool the Blood makes it useful for hemorrhagic conditions such as epistaxis and hemoptysis.
• The location near the upper arm suggests its regional action on the limb, addressing pain or numbness in the area.
• The association with goitre and throat swelling suggests its application in Qi stagnation or Phlegm accumulation in the neck.

Point Combinations:

• For Lung Heat & Coughing Blood: LU-3 + LU-10 (Yuji) + UB-13 (Feishu) + SP-6 (Sanyinjiao).
• For Mental-Emotional Disorders: LU-3 + HT-7 (Shenmen) + PC-6 (Neiguan) + DU-24 (Shenting).
• For Throat Disorders & Goitre: LU-3 + LI-18 (Futu) + ST-9 (Renying) + REN-22 (Tiantu).
• For Visual Dizziness & Short-Sightedness: LU-3 + GB-37 (Guangming) + UB-1 (Jingming) + SI-6 (Yanglao).