The "Brain's Door" — GV-17 (Naohu) sits at the back of the skull where the Governing Vessel meets the Bladder Meridian (BL), right at the threshold between the spine and the brain. It calms the mind, clears the head, and addresses disorders of the eyes and the occipital region.
Name & story
The name 脑户 Naohu means "Brain Door" or "Door of the Brain". Picture a gate — or doorway — set into the back of the skull, right where the spine hands its channel upward into the head. The Governing Vessel, which travels along the spine and carries Yang Qi up toward the crown, passes through this gateway on its way into the brain. So Naohu is, quite literally, the entrance to the brain along the midline: the door through which Qi and influence — healing or harmful — can pass.
Point family & character
GV-17 belongs to the Governing Vessel (GV). It is a meeting point — the Governing Vessel meets the Bladder Meridian (BL) here. Its location at the base of the occiput, close to the brain, makes it part of the group of occipital and head points on the Governing Vessel used for brain and eye disorders.
Five-element dynamics
The Governing Vessel is the "Sea of all Yang channels", gathering and distributing Yang Qi through the spine and up into the head. GV-17 sits right at the doorway of this upward flow into the brain — and because the brain in Chinese medicine is closely tied to the Kidney Jing (the brain is said to be "the Sea of Marrow", filled by Jing), this point stands at an important junction: where the ascending Yang of the spine meets the Jing-nourished brain. Calming this gate calms the mind.
Location
On the midline at the back of the head, in the depression directly above (superior to) the external occipital protuberance — the bony bump you can feel at the base of the skull. It sits 1.5 Cun above GV-16 (Fengfu), which lies just below that bony bump.
Anatomy & fascia
The point lies in the occipital region, over the external occipital protuberance, in the area of the occipitalis muscle. The occipital artery and vein, and the greater occipital nerve, are present in this area.
Needling
The needle is inserted horizontally (transversely) along the scalp, directed either upward or downward along the midline. Because of the proximity to the occiput and the underlying structures, care is taken with depth and direction.
Safe depth
The golden tip
If you have tension or aching at the very base of the skull — that thick ridge of bone at the back of the head — try placing your fingertips gently there and applying slow, circular pressure. Find the midline bump (the external occipital protuberance) and feel just above it. A minute or two of gentle pressure can ease occipital tension and dull headaches arising from the back of the head. Always keep pressure gentle in this area.
For education only — not medical advice. Consult a qualified practitioner.