The Water point of the Small Intestine channel — a quiet but effective point for clearing Heat, cooling the head and sensory openings, and easing pain along the channel from finger to neck.
Contraindications
Qiangu SI-2 is a small, superficial point on the hand and is generally safe. No special contraindications are noted in the sources; simply use shallow needling appropriate to the thin tissue at this location.
Name & story
The name 前谷 Qiangu means "Front Valley". Picture a small hollow — a valley — nestled at the base of the little finger, just before the knuckle. It sits just in front of SI-3 (Houxi), which is named the "Back Valley". The two points are neighbours on the same ridge of the hand, like two valleys on either side of a hill. The "valley" image in Chinese acupuncture often suggests a place where Qi gathers in a dip before it moves onward — and here, at this modest hollow, the channel's energy pauses and cools.
Point family & character
Qiangu SI-2 belongs to the Small Intestine Meridian (SI). In the five-element character of the channel, it is the Ying-Spring point and the Water point of a Fire channel. In classical theory, Ying-Spring points are classically used "when there is heat in the body" — making Qiangu SI-2 a natural choice whenever the channel or its related openings are hot and inflamed.
Five-element dynamics
The Small Intestine Meridian (SI) is a Fire channel — it belongs to the Heart-Small Intestine Fire pair. Yet Qiangu SI-2 is its Water point, the Ying-Spring. Water within Fire: this is the cooling agent sitting inside a warming channel. When Fire flares upward — inflaming the throat, the ears, the eyes, the cheeks — the Water point steps in to draw that heat down and restore balance. It is a reminder that every element carries within it the seed of its opposite, available when excess tips the scale.
Location
Find it on the ulnar (little-finger) side of the hand. Make a loose fist — a crease appears at the base of the little finger. Qiangu SI-2 sits at the far end of that crease, in the small hollow just before the knuckle of the fifth metacarpal. It is the point immediately distal to SI-3 (Houxi).
Anatomy & fascia
The point lies just proximal to the head of the fifth metacarpal bone, in the depression at the ulnar end of the proximal finger crease, on the border between the dorsal and palmar skin.
Needling
The needle is inserted perpendicularly into the depression. A local aching or distending sensation is the usual response.
Safe depth
0.2–0.3 Cun.
Moxa, cupping & Tui Na
The point can be stimulated by firm fingertip pressure or massage along the ulnar edge of the hand. Because it is a Water and cooling point, strong moxa warming is less typical here, though gentle warming may be used for Cold-type channel pain along the hand and arm.
Functions
Clears Heat from the Small Intestine channel and its sensory openings. Dispels exterior Wind-Heat. Benefits the eyes, ears, nose and throat. Reduces swelling and pain along the channel — from fingers up to the neck. Treats febrile conditions and malaria.
Indications
Redness, pain or swelling of the eyes; tinnitus and deafness; congested nose and nosebleed. Sore and swollen throat, painful swallowing. Mumps, swelling of the cheek radiating to the ear, swelling and pain of the neck. Cough, fever and thirst from exterior Heat affecting the Lung and throat. Malaria. Pain, stiffness or numbness along the Small Intestine channel — from hand and fingers up through the arm to the neck. Numbness and Heat sensation in the fingers and palms. Headache.
Point combinations
With Zhaohai KID-6 and Zhongfeng LIV-4 — for swelling of the throat with inability to swallow (Thousand Ducat Formulas). With Wangu GB-12 and Tianyou SJ-16 — for tired throat, swelling of the neck with inability to turn the head, and swelling of the cheek radiating to the ear (Thousand Ducat Formulas). With Houxi SI-3 and Pianli LI-6 — for deafness (Supplementing Life). With Pianli LI-6, Yangxi LI-5, Shangyang LI-1, Luoque BL-8 and Wangu SI-4 — for tinnitus (Supplementing Life). With Yangxi LI-5 — for eye pain.
Clinical spotlight
Qiangu SI-2 is a focused, elegant point. Its strength lies in the combination of its channel pathway — which runs up through the arm, over the shoulder, up the neck and face to reach the ear, cheek and eye — and its Water-within-Fire nature as the Ying-Spring point. Deadman highlights its particular value for toxic Heat swelling: mumps, inflamed cheek radiating to the ear, swollen and painful neck and throat. When Heat rises along the Small Intestine Meridian (SI) and lodges in the sensory openings of the head, Qiangu SI-2 is a direct and well-targeted intervention.
The golden tip
To stimulate this point at home, find the small hollow at the base of your little finger on the outer (little-finger) side of the hand — press gently with the opposite thumbnail in the crease at the knuckle's base. A minute or two of firm, circular pressure on each hand can help ease minor ear ringing, sore throat or tired eyes — especially when these feel hot or inflamed. Seek professional care for persistent symptoms.
For education only — not medical advice. Consult a qualified practitioner.