The "Head Governor of Tears" — a point on the scalp where the Gallbladder Meridian (GB) meets the eyes, the nose and the mind. Toulinqi GB-15 clears Wind, opens the sensory orifices and soothes headaches that reach the forehead, the eyes and the very top of the head.
Contraindications
Moxa is traditionally not recommended at this point. Otherwise Toulinqi GB-15 is a safe scalp point when the correct transverse technique and the stated depth are observed.
Name & story
The name 头临泣 Toulinqi tells a quiet story in three characters: 头 (tóu) means "head", 临 (lín) means "to govern" or "to overlook", and 泣 (qì) means "tears". Together: "Head Governor of Tears". As Deadman notes in his commentary, the name captures precisely what the point does — it rules the tears that stream when Wind attacks the eyes or when the face is turned into the cold. It sits directly above the pupil, on the scalp, like a watchtower overseeing the eye below. There is a sibling point lower on the body — Zulinqi GB-41, "Foot Governor of Tears" — and the two share both a name and a therapeutic kinship.
Point family & character
Toulinqi GB-15 belongs to the Gallbladder Meridian (GB), the foot Shaoyang channel. It is an intersection point — a meeting place of the Gallbladder Meridian (GB), the Bladder Meridian (BL) and the Yang Wei Mai (Yang Linking Vessel). This crossroads quality gives it a broader reach than a simple local point.
Five-element dynamics
The Gallbladder is the Yang channel of the Wood element. Wood governs the eyes, the sinews and the free flow of Qi — and, at a deeper level, the capacity for clear decision and vision, both literal and figurative. When Wind invades the head, or when internal Wind rises upward, it disturbs this clarity: the eyes water, the head pounds, and vision blurs. Toulinqi GB-15 sits precisely at the junction of scalp and sky, where the channel's rising energy meets the world. It clears what does not belong — Wind, Heat, obstruction — and restores the clean upward brightness that the Wood element is meant to bring.
Location
Find the midpoint of the anterior hairline — that is the midline point Shenting DU-24. Toulinqi GB-15 lies directly above the pupil (when the eye looks straight ahead), on the anterior hairline. It is directly above Yangbai GB-14, which sits on the forehead one Cun above the eyebrow. Note: because the hairline curves gently back as it moves away from the midline, the Gallbladder points along the scalp follow that curve — this should be kept in mind when locating GB-15.
Anatomy & fascia
The point lies on the scalp, in the galea aponeurotica (the sheet of connective tissue covering the skull), above the frontal bone.
Needling
The golden tip
If you feel a dull ache across the forehead, watery or irritated eyes in the wind, or sinus congestion at the hairline, try gently pressing or circling the fingertip at GB-15 — directly above the pupil on the hairline — for one to two minutes on each side. This is a safe and simple way to ease local tension. Note that moxa is traditionally not used at this point.
For education only — not medical advice. Consult a qualified practitioner.