The cool, clear point of the San Jiao channel. Yemen (SJ-2) clears Heat from the upper body, opens the ears and soothes the eyes — wherever Fire and Heat rise to trouble the head, face and senses, this small point on the back of the hand brings relief.
Contraindications
Scarring (direct blistering) moxibustion is forbidden at this point. Otherwise SJ-2 is safe when needled to the stated depth with clean technique.
Name & story
The name 液门 Yemen means "Gate of Fluids" or "Fluid Gate". It is a beautiful and telling name: the character 液 (yè) means liquid, fluid, moisture — and 门 (mén) is a gate or door. As the Ying-Spring and Water point of the San Jiao channel, this point is like a gate that releases cooling, moistening water energy through the channel. When Heat rises and dries things out — parching the throat, reddening the eyes, ringing in the ears — Yemen opens the gate to let cool fluid energy flow through and quench the fire.
Point family & character
Yemen (SJ-2) belongs to the San Jiao channel (SJ), also called the Triple Burner or Triple Warmer channel. In classical character it is the Ying-Spring point and the Water point of the channel. According to the Classic of Difficulties, Ying-Spring points are specifically indicated for "heat in the body" — which tells you a great deal about what this point is for.
Five-element dynamics
The San Jiao channel belongs to the Fire element (as a Yang channel paired with the Pericardium), yet SJ-2 is its Water point — and that interplay is the whole story of the point. Water controls and cools Fire. When the San Jiao's Fire blazes upward along the channel — reaching the ears, eyes, throat, face — it is this Water point that extinguishes it. It is the channel's own built-in cooling system, the place where Water meets Fire and tempers it.
Location
On the back of the hand, in the depression just above (proximal to) the web between the ring finger and little finger. A helpful tip from the sources: rest the hand in a loose fist — a small crease appears in the web space, and the point sits at the proximal end of that crease, right at the junction of the red and white skin.
Anatomy & fascia
The point lies in the web space between the ring finger and the little finger, at the border between the red and white skin (the transition between the darker skin of the back of the hand and the paler skin of the palm side).
Needling
The needle is inserted perpendicularly, straight into the web space. The sensation is typically a local distending feeling that can spread across the back of the hand. Alternatively, the needle can be angled slightly toward the wrist and the needle manipulated continuously — in which case the sensation can travel up along the San Jiao channel toward the elbow.
Safe depth
0.3 to 0.5 Cun.
Moxa, cupping & Tui Na
Moxibustion can be applied: 3–5 cones of cone moxa, warming needle moxa for around 20 minutes, or a moxa stick held over the point for 5–10 minutes. Note that scarring (direct blistering) moxibustion is specifically forbidden at this point. Acupressure on the web between ring and little finger can also be used for self-care.
Functions
Disperses Heat from the upper Jiao and benefits the ears; Clears Heat from the head, face and five sensory organs; Releases the exterior; Unblocks the collaterals and alleviates pain; Calms the Shen.
Indications
Ear disorders: deafness, sudden deafness, tinnitus, earache. Eye disorders: red eyes, dry eyes, red face with tearing. Head and face: headache, red face, toothache, bleeding gums, pain of the gums. Throat: swelling and pain of the throat, difficulty swallowing. Feverish conditions: fever without sweating, malaria. Mental: fright palpitations, propensity to fright, raving, mania, epilepsy, shortness of breath. Arm and hand: pain of the arm, inability to raise the arm due to pain, redness and swelling of the back of the hand, contraction of the five fingers, weakness of the wrist, neck pain.
Mind & spirit (Shen)
Yemen has a quieter but real effect on the mind. When Heat rises into the upper body it does not leave the Shen in peace — fright palpitations, a startled nature, raving and even mania all appear in the classical indications for this point. Fire disturbs the heart and the spirit; by clearing Heat from above and calming the uprising through the Water point of the channel, Yemen helps settle the restless, frightened or agitated mind. It is not a primary Shen point, but when the turbulence above has a Hot nature, it earns its place.
Point combinations
With Yanggu SI-5, Shangyang LI-1, Erjian LI-2 and Sidu SJ-9 — for toothache of the lower jaw (from the Thousand Ducat Formulas). With Tianjing SJ-10, Baihui DU-20 and Shendao DU-11 — for fright palpitations (from Supplementing Life).
Clinical spotlight
Yemen (SJ-2) is a focused and elegant point: it does one thing exceptionally well — it clears Heat from the upper Jiao and benefits all the sense organs that the San Jiao channel passes through. The channel travels both in front of and behind the ear, enters the ear itself, runs to the outer corner of the eye, and passes through the cheek — so when Heat blazes along this pathway, every one of those structures can be affected, and Yemen is the Water point that cools it. Its classical entry in the Classic of Difficulties — "Ying-Spring points are indicated for heat in the body" — has guided its use for centuries. It is also one of the less commonly known points for acute mental agitation with a Heat character: fright, raving, mania.
The golden tip
When Heat is rising — ringing ears, sore red eyes, a hot and painful throat — you can press firmly into the web between your ring and little finger on the back of the hand, right at the base of the web. Hold steady pressure or make small circles for one to two minutes on each hand. It is a gentle, accessible point for self-care at the very first sign of these Heat symptoms.
For education only — not medical advice. Consult a qualified practitioner.