LI 4 · Hegu

Large Intestine meridian · Metal · Yang · peak 5–7 AM

Plate shown for male body

Adult body, front — twelve meridians and acupoints

Pregnancy caution: LI 4 is traditionally avoided or requires supervised use during pregnancy. See the Safety page for the full list and the BL 67 breech-turning exception.

Location

Between 1st and 2nd metacarpals, midpoint of 2nd

Needling Depth

0.5–1 cun

Moderate depth — mind underlying structures.

Always palpate landmarks and angle away from vital structures. Chest/neck: oblique, shallow only.

Contraindicated in pregnancy (can induce labor).

Anatomy & Safe Needling

Structure: Between 1st–2nd metacarpals, near superficial radial nerve branches

Risk: Pregnancy; local pain

Method: Avoid in pregnancy; usual depth fine.

Acupressure Self-Use

Indications: Headache, Toothache, Face pain, Stress

Technique: Squeeze the web between thumb and index finger into the 2nd metacarpal.

Duration: 1–2 min each hand

The 'great eliminator' — clears the head and face. Avoid in pregnancy.

Appears in Formulas

Tension headache (Liver Yang rising) — Distal — clear head & face

Migraine (Shaoyang / Liver-Fire) — Distal — face

Tennis elbow (Local stagnation) — Distal

Common cold (wind-cold) (Taiyang exterior) — Clear head

Common cold (wind-heat) (Wind-Heat) — Clear head

Sinusitis (Damp-heat in nose) — Distal face

Bell's palsy (Wind in face channels) — Distal Yangming

Large Intestine Meridian Flow

Metal · Yang · peak 5–7 AM

Qi flowing along the Large Intestine — direction of animation reflects channel flow.

My notes on LI 4