The great belt-regulating point of Chinese medicine. Daimai (GB-26) governs the Dai Mai — the one meridian that wraps around the waist like a belt — and is the go-to point for gynaecological complaints, leukorrhea, and lumbar heaviness when Dampness has settled in the lower body.
Name & story
The name 带脉 Daimai means simply "Belt Vessel" — and it is perfectly descriptive. The Dai Mai is the only meridian in the body that runs horizontally, circling the waist like a sash or girdle that holds all the vertical channels together. GB-26 shares its name with that extraordinary vessel, because this point is its very meeting place with the Gallbladder Meridian (GB). Press here and you are pressing right at the knot of the belt. In classical texts the Dai Mai is compared to a ribbon that, when loose or waterlogged, allows things to spill downward — and that image captures exactly what this point is asked to fix.
Point family & character
GB-26 belongs to the Gallbladder Meridian (GB). Its most important character is that it is the intersecting point of the Gallbladder Meridian (GB) and the Dai Mai (Belt Vessel) — making it the principal point through which the Dai Mai is accessed in clinical practice.
Five-element dynamics
The Gallbladder Meridian (GB) belongs to the Wood element, and the Liver–Gallbladder pair governs the smooth flow of Qi throughout the body. When that flow is disrupted — especially when Dampness and Heat accumulate in the lower abdomen and pelvis — the Dai Mai becomes congested and slack, no longer able to hold the vertical channels taut. GB-26, standing precisely where the Wood channel crosses the Belt Vessel, is able to clear the Heat, drain the Dampness and restore the Dai Mai's binding function. Through this action it brings order back to the lower body, especially the uterus and its functions.
Location
Find the free tip of the 11th rib on the side of the body — it floats just below the edge of the ribcage. GB-26 sits directly below that tip, at the level of the navel (umbilicus). Locate the 10th rib first, then trace down to the shorter 11th rib's free extremity; the point is right there, level with the centre of the umbilicus.
Anatomy & fascia
The point lies on the lateral abdomen, over the muscular and fatty layers of the abdominal wall, below the free end of the 11th rib.
Needling
The needle is inserted obliquely, angled inward along the abdominal wall. A local sensation of soreness and distension may spread to the lateral side of the waist. Needle in proportion to the thickness of the patient's abdominal wall. Do not thrust or lift the needle quickly or forcefully, to avoid penetrating the intestinal tract.
The golden tip
The point is easy to find at home: place your hand on your side at waist height and feel for the lowest floating rib tip — GB-26 is just beneath it, level with the navel. Firm circular massage here for 1–2 minutes on each side can help ease lumbar heaviness and lower-abdominal bloating. A warm pack held over the waistline for 10–15 minutes — effectively warming the whole Dai Mai circuit — is especially comforting when the lower back feels heavy and cold.
For education only — not medical advice. Consult a qualified practitioner.