BL36 Chengfu (Support)

Location

On the posterior side of the thigh at the midpoint of the inferior gluteal crease.

Indications

Conditions for which BL36 is listed as indicated. An indication list is a reference index, not a prescription – see the protocols below for sourced treatments.

TCM actions

What classical sources say BL36 does in the terms of Chinese medicine theory. These describe the point, not a condition.

Protocols using BL36

• Tremor, Parkinson's Disease, Motor Disorder, Bradykinesia, Rigidity Cogwheel, Balance Disturbance – LU05, LI05, LI11, LI15, ST41, SP09, HT03, SI06, SI09, BL36, BL40, KD03, PC02, PC03, PC07, TB02, TB04, TB14, GB30, GB34, LV04 (doi:10.1016/s0254-6272(09)60004-2 ↗)
• Sciatica, Lumbar Pain, Low Back Pain, Lumbar Disc Herniation, Disc-herniation Lumbar, Lower-extremity Right Pain, Leg Right Numbness, Scoliosis Lumbar – BL23, BL24, BL25, BL26, BL36, BL37, BL40, BL57, BL60, GB30 (doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000036684 ↗)
• Contracture Knee, Brachial Plexus Injury, Muscle Atrophy, Paralysis Upper Extremity, Paralysis Lower Extremity, Contracture Ankle, Contracture Shoulder, Contracture Elbow, Scoliosis, Neuromotor Impairment, Steppage Gait – LU01, LI04, LI05, LI11, LI14, ST34, ST36, ST41, SP09, SP10, SI05, SI06, SI07, SI09, BL11, BL12, BL22, BL23, BL24, BL25, BL26, BL36, BL37, BL39, BL55, BL56, BL57, BL58, BL60, BL61, BL62, KD03, KD04, KD05, KD06, TB09, GB20, GB21, GB40 (doi:10.3831/KPI.2013.16.009 ↗)
• Blood Stasis, Lumbar Pain, Disc Herniation Lumbar – BL23, BL36, BL40, GB34, GV02, GV03, GV04 (doi:10.13729/j.issn.1671-7813.Z20180146 ↗)
• Lumbar Pain, Lumbar Disc Herniation, Sciatica Radicular – BL25, BL26, BL36, BL54, BL57, GB30, GB34 (doi:10.16448/j.cjtcm.2005.06.045 ↗)
• Lumbar Pain, Stenosis Lumbar Spinal, Claudication Neurogenic, Lower Extremity Pain – SP06, BL23, BL24, BL25, BL26, BL27, BL36, BL40, BL57, BL60, GB30, GB31, GB34, GV03, GV04 (doi:10.13517/j.cnki.ccm.2025.05.015 ↗)
• Paralysis, Leg Weakness, Cancer Lung, Spinal Metastasis – ST31, ST36, SP06, BL36, GB30, GB34, GB39, LV03, GV20 (doi:10.3389/fmed.2026.1815886 ↗)
• Paralysis Spastic Post-stroke Limb Spasticity – LU04, LU05, LU06, LI10, LI11, LI14, LI15, ST31, ST32, ST36, ST40, BL36, BL40, BL57, GB30 (doi:10.1016/s0254-6272(15)30071-6 ↗)
• Paralysis Spastic Post-stroke – LU05, LI15, ST31, SP10, HT01, BL36, BL62, KD06, PC07, TB04, TB10, LV08 (doi:10.1016/s0254-6272(15)30071-6 ↗)
• Low-back Pain, Lumbar Disc Herniation – BL23, BL25, BL36, BL40, BL57, BL60, GB30 (doi:10.2147/jpr.s592723 ↗)
• Dysphagia, Muscle Weakness, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis – LI10, LI11, LI14, LI15, ST31, ST32, ST34, ST35, ST36, ST41, SP06, SP10, BL36, BL37, BL40, BL57, GB20, GB30, GB31, GV20, XL05A (doi:10.1097/md.0000000000033612 ↗)
• Paralysis Paraplegia, Cancer Lung – ST31, ST36, SP06, BL36, GB30, GB34, GB39, LV03, GV20 (doi:10.3389/fmed.2026.1815886 ↗)
• Lumbar Pain, Lumbar Disc Herniation – BL23, BL25, BL26, BL36, BL40, BL57, GB30, GB34, GB39, GV03 (doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000036425 ↗)
• Spasticity Lower Limb Post-stroke, Spastic Hemiplegia – LI14, LI15, BL36, GB30, XB02C2, XB02C3, XB02C4, XB02C5, XB02C6, XB02C7, XB02L1, XB02L2, XB02L3, XB02L4, XB02L5, XB02S1, XB02T10, XB02T11, XB02T12, XB02T2, XB02T3, XB02T4, XB02T5, XB02T6, XB02T7, XB02T8, XB02T9 (doi:10.13703/j.0255-2930.20250715-k0001 ↗)
• Sciatica – ST36, SP06, SP09, BL23, BL25, BL27, BL36, BL37, BL40, BL54, BL58, BL60, BL62, KD03, GB30, GB31, GB34, GB39 (doi:10.2147/jpr.s210672 ↗)
• Sciatica – BL23, BL30, BL36, BL39, BL40, BL57, BL60, GB30, GB31, GB34 (Deadman, Al-Khafaji & Baker, A Manual of Acupuncture – point group actions)
• Heat Bladder, Damp Bladder, Heat Bladder, Damp Bladder – ST28, SP11, SP12, HT08, BL22, BL27, BL28, BL31, BL35, BL36, BL39, KD10 (Yang Yong-Xuan, clinical point-selection notes)
• Urinary Incontinence, Paraplegia Traumatic, Spinal Cord Injury – LI04, ST31, ST36, BL32, BL36, BL40, BL57, BL60, KD03, TB05, GB34, GB39, CV03, CV04, GV04, GV14, XB02C2, XB02C3, XB02C4, XB02C5, XB02C6 (Chen Jirui, Nissi Wang (eds). Acupuncture Case Histories from China. Seattle: Eastland Press, 1988)
• Paraplegia Traumatic, Spinal Cord Injury – LI04, LI05, ST31, ST36, SI03, BL32, BL36, BL40, BL57, BL60, KD03, TB04, TB05, GB34, GB39, CV03, CV04, GV04, GV14, XB02C2, XB02C3, XB02C4, XB02C5, XB02C6 (Chen Jirui, Nissi Wang (eds). Acupuncture Case Histories from China. Seattle: Eastland Press, 1988)
• Sequellae Poliomyelitis – ST31, ST32, ST36, ST41, ST44, BL23, BL36, BL43, BL54, KD01, GB30, GB31, GB40, LV03, LV04, XL10A, XL10B, XL10C, XL10D, XL10E, XL10F, XL10G, XL10H, XL25 (Henry C. Lu. Clinical Cases of Acupuncture)
• Ataxia – LI04, LI11, SP06, BL23, BL36, BL54, BL57, PC03, TB03, TB05, TB23, GB20, GB34, GB39 (Henry C. Lu. Clinical Cases of Acupuncture)
• Paraplegia Traumatic, Spinal Cord Injury, Incontinence Urinary – ST36, BL32, BL36, BL37, BL54, GB30, GB34, GB39, GV02, GV03, XB08 (Henry C. Lu. Clinical Cases of Acupuncture)
• Leg Weakness, Muscular Dystrophy – SP09, BL20, BL23, BL36, GB30, GB34 (Zhang Dengbu. Acupuncture Cases from China: A Digest of Difficult and Complicated Case Histories. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone, 1994)
• Paraplegia Traumatic, Spinal Cord Injury – LI04, LI11, LI15, ST25, ST36, SP06, BL23, BL25, BL28, BL32, BL36, BL40, BL57, BL60, TB03, TB04, TB05, GB20, GB30, GB31, GB34, GB40, LV03, CV04, CV06, CV10, GV04 (Zhang Dengbu. Acupuncture Cases from China: A Digest of Difficult and Complicated Case Histories. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone, 1994)
• Sciatica, Lumbar Disc Herniation – ST03, ST36, BL23, BL24, BL36, BL54, BL58, GB30, GB34, GB39 (Zhang Dengbu. Acupuncture Cases from China: A Digest of Difficult and Complicated Case Histories. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone, 1994)
• Sciatica, Lumbar Disc Herniation – ST38, BL32, BL36, BL54, BL57, GB34 (Zhang Dengbu. Acupuncture Cases from China: A Digest of Difficult and Complicated Case Histories. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone, 1994)
• Bi Syndrome, Fever Rheumatic, Arthritis Rheumatoid, Fibrositis, Neuralgia, Gout, Thigh Pain, Bi Syndrome, Fever Rheumatic, Arthritis Rheumatoid, Thigh Pain – BL36, BL54, GB34 (sacredlotus.com ↗)
• Qi Stagnation, Stasis Blood, Paralysis (infant), Benefit Regulate Yin, Benefit Regulate Wei, Flexion Knee, Qi Stagnation, Stasis Blood, Paralysis (infant), Benefit Regulate Yin, Benefit Regulate Wei, Flexion Knee – BL36, BL40, BL57 (sacredlotus.com ↗)

Most often selected alongside BL36

How many sourced protocols in the index pair each point with BL36. Corpus frequency, not a combination to use.

• GB30Jumping Circle18 protocols
• GB34Yang Mound Spring18 protocols
• BL57Mountain Support15 protocols
• BL40Middle Of The Crease14 protocols
• BL23Kidney Shu Point13 protocols
• ST36Leg Three Miles12 protocols
• BL60Kunlun (Mountains)9 protocols
• GB39Suspended Bell9 protocols
• BL25Large Intestine Shu Point8 protocols
• BL54Lowermost In Order8 protocols
• ST31Thigh Gate8 protocols
• SP06Three Yin Intersection7 protocols

Other points on the Bladder Meridian