BL52 Zhishi (Willpower Room)

志室zhì shìZhishi

Bladder Meridian

Location of acupuncture point BL52 Zhishi (Willpower Room)
24
Indications
37
Protocols
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Location

3 thumb widths lateral to the GV04 at the level of the lower border of the spinous process of the 2nd lumbar vertebra.

Cautions

Avoid deep perpendicular needling due to risk of pneumothorax.

Indications

Conditions for which BL52 is listed as indicated. An indication list is a reference index, not a prescription – see the protocols below for sourced treatments.

Abdomen DisorderBowels DisorderTurmoil DisorderUterus DisorderDreamingDefecation ProblemsErectile DysfunctionErectile / Impotence ProblemsUrinary ProblemsCostal Lateral FullnessHardness AbdomenHardness HypogastriumBack Stiffness StiffnessImmobility Back StiffnessEdemaBack PainLower Back PainRib PainGenital PainPremature Ejaculation SwellingUrination ScantyVomitingBack Lumbar Weakness

TCM actions

What classical sources say BL52 does in the terms of Chinese medicine theory. These describe the point, not a condition.

Benefit EssenceBenefit Regulate UrinationBenefit Tonify KidneysRegulate UrinationTonify Kidneys

Protocols using BL52

  • Fatigue, Dizziness, Tinnitus, Insomnia, Dreaming, Spermatorrhea, Poor Memory, Appetite Poor, Nocturnal Emission, Lack Of Energy, Low Back Weakness, Soreness Knee – SP06, HT07, BL15, BL20, BL23, BL52, KD03, PC06, CV04, GV20, GV24 (doi:10.1016/s0254-6272(09)60090-x ↗)
  • Fatigue, Insomnia, Sleep Difficulty Falling Asleep, Sleep Early Awakening, Sleep Frequent Awakening, Memory Decreased – BL11, BL13, BL23, BL52, GV04, GV14 (doi:10.1016/s0254-6272(09)60025-x ↗)
  • Exercise Capacity Reduced, Cardiorespiratory Fitness Low, Sedentary Lifestyle – LU01, ST36, BL17, BL23, BL52, PC06, GB34, CV04, CV17 (doi:10.6061/clinics/2012(02)18 ↗)
  • Anxiety Procedural, Procedural Pain – BL21, BL22, BL23, BL52, GB25 (doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000734 ↗)
  • Constipation Functional, Stool Hard, Defecation Infrequent, Defecation Incomplete – ST25, ST27, BL25, BL52 (doi:10.1186/s12906-018-2243-4 ↗)
  • Sciatica, Lumbago, Leg Pain, Lower Back Pain – BL22, BL23, BL24, BL25, BL52, GV03, GV04, GV05 (doi:10.3831/KPI.2012.15.006 ↗)
  • Hyperglycemia, Insulin Resistance, Type 2 Diabetes – LI04, LI11, ST36, SP06, SP09, SP10, BL13, BL17, BL20, BL21, BL22, BL23, BL52, KD03, CV04, CV06, CV12 (doi:10.3892/etm.2017.4379 ↗)
  • Low Back Acute Pain, Injury Motor Vehicle Accident – BL23, BL25, BL52, GV03 (doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.1003849 ↗)
  • Leg Pain, Buttock Pain, Low Back Pain, Stenosis Lumbar Spinal, Claudication Neurogenic, Gait Disturbance – SP09, BL23, BL25, BL32, BL39, BL40, BL51, BL52, BL54, BL57, BL60, GB30, GB34, GB39, GV03 (doi:10.2147/JPR.S438219 ↗)
  • Leg Pain, Buttock Pain, Low Back Pain, Stenosis Lumbar Spinal, Claudication Neurogenic, Gait Disturbance – BL23, BL32, BL39, BL51, BL52, BL54, BL57, GB30, GB34, GB39, GV03 (doi:10.2147/JPR.S438219 ↗)
  • Leg Pain, Buttock Pain, Low Back Pain, Mobility Reduced, Spinal Stenosis Lumbar, Neurogenic Claudication – SP09, BL23, BL25, BL32, BL39, BL40, BL51, BL52, BL54, BL57, BL60, GB30, GB34, GB39, GV03 (doi:10.1016/j.imr.2025.101204 ↗)
  • Absent Periods, Infertility Female, Hormonal Imbalance, Premature Ovarian Insufficiency – ST25, ST36, SP06, BL20, BL23, BL25, BL32, BL33, BL52, GB13, LV03, CV04, CV06, CV10, CV12, GV20, GV24, XC01 (doi:10.2147/IJWH.S586584 ↗)
  • Fatigue, Dizziness, Tinnitus, Knees Weakness, Poor Memory, Lower Back Pain, Appetite Poor, Spermatorrhea Nocturnal Emission, Insomnia Dreaming – SP06, HT07, BL15, BL20, BL23, BL52, KD03, PC06, CV04, GV20, GV24, XC01, XH03 (doi:10.1016/s0254-6272(09)60090-x ↗)
  • Leg Pain, Low Back Pain, Spinal Stenosis Lumbar, Neurogenic Claudication – SP09, BL23, BL25, BL32, BL39, BL40, BL51, BL52, BL54, BL57, BL60, GB30, GB34, GB39, GV03 (doi:10.1016/j.imr.2025.101204 ↗)
  • Leg Pain, Low Back Pain, Spinal Stenosis Lumbar Degenerative, Claudication Neurogenic – SP09, BL23, BL25, BL32, BL39, BL40, BL51, BL52, BL54, BL57, BL60, GB30, GB34, GB39, GV03, XB02L1, XB02L2, XB02L3, XB02L4, XB02L5 (doi:10.1016/j.imr.2025.101204 ↗)
  • Leg Pain, Back Low Pain, Stenosis Lumbar Spinal, Claudication Neurogenic – BL27, BL52, GB30, GV06 (doi:10.2147/JPR.S625942 ↗)
  • Low Back Pain – BL23, BL25, BL52, GV03 (doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.1003849 ↗)
  • Stenosis Lumbar Spinal – SP09, BL23, BL25, BL32, BL39, BL40, BL51, BL52, BL54, BL57, BL60, GB30, GB34, GB39, GV03 (doi:10.2147/JPR.S438219 ↗)
  • Stenosis Lumbar Spinal – SP09, BL23, BL25, BL32, BL39, BL40, BL51, BL52, BL54, BL57, BL60, GB30, GB34, GB39, GV03 (doi:10.2147/JPR.S438219 ↗)
  • Depression Cancer-related – ST36, BL23, BL52, GV04 (doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1717290 ↗)
  • Constipation Functional – ST25, ST27, BL25, BL52 (doi:10.1186/s12906-018-2243-4 ↗)
  • Procedural Pain – BL21, BL22, BL23, BL52, GB25 (doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000734 ↗)
  • Low Back Pain – BL22, BL23, BL24, BL25, BL52, GV03, GV04, GV05 (doi:10.3831/KPI.2012.15.006 ↗)
  • Proteinuria – BL20, BL52 (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗)
  • Fear – BL23, BL52, KD04 (Deadman, Al-Khafaji & Baker, A Manual of Acupuncture – point group actions)
  • Impotence, Premature Ejaculation, Premature Ejaculation – ST29, ST30, SP06, BL23, BL52, KD03, KD06, CV04, CV06 (Deadman, Al-Khafaji & Baker, A Manual of Acupuncture – point group actions)
  • Infertility – ST29, ST30, ST36, SP04, SP06, SP10, BL23, BL32, BL52, KD03, KD06, PC06, CV04, CV06 (Deadman, Al-Khafaji & Baker, A Manual of Acupuncture – point group actions)
  • Kidney Jing Deficiency, Kidney Jing Deficiency – SP06, BL11, BL23, BL52, KD03, GB39, CV04, GV04, GV16 (Deadman, Al-Khafaji & Baker, A Manual of Acupuncture – point group actions)
  • Fracture Back Pain – BL23, BL24, BL25, BL26, BL40, BL51, BL52, BL60, GB34 (백승원 et al.. 골절에 침 치료를 적용한 2013년 이후 증례보고 문헌고찰. 한방재활의학과학회지, 2021)
  • Impotence, Premature Ejaculation – ST29, ST30, SP06, BL23, BL52, KD03, KD06, CV04, CV06 (Deadman, Al-Khafaji & Baker, A Manual of Acupuncture – point group actions)
  • Infertility Male, Asthenospermia – ST36, SP06, BL23, BL52, KD03, CV04, CV06, GV04 (Henry C. Lu. Clinical Cases of Acupuncture)
  • Low Back Pain – BL23, BL52, KD03, GV04 (Henry C. Lu. Clinical Cases of Acupuncture)
  • Lumbar Spondylosis, Low Back Pain – BL32, BL52, KD03 (Henry C. Lu. Clinical Cases of Acupuncture)
  • Proteinuria, Glomerulonephritis Chronic – SP06, BL18, BL20, BL23, BL52, BL58, KD03, KD07, KD22, KD27, CV06, CV15, CV17 (Zhang Dengbu. Acupuncture Cases from China: A Digest of Difficult and Complicated Case Histories. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone, 1994)
  • Spermatorrhea – ST36, SP06, BL23, BL32, BL52, CV03, CV04, CV06 (Zhang Dengbu. Acupuncture Cases from China: A Digest of Difficult and Complicated Case Histories. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone, 1994)
  • Low Back Pain, Lumbar Spondylosis – BL23, BL25, BL52, XB02L2, XB02L3, XB02L4, XB02L5 (Zhu Bing, Wang Hongcai (eds). Case Studies from the Medical Records of Leading Chinese Acupuncture Experts. London: Singing Dragon, 2011)
  • Nocturnal Emission Wet Dream, Nocturnal Emission Wet Dream – HT07, BL15, BL52, KD03 (sacredlotus.com ↗)

Most often selected alongside BL52

How many sourced protocols in the index pair each point with BL52. Corpus frequency, not a combination to use.

  • BL23Kidney Shu Point31 protocols
  • BL25Large Intestine Shu Point15 protocols
  • KD03Great Stream12 protocols
  • BL32Second Bone Hole11 protocols
  • CV04Original Qi Gate11 protocols
  • GV03Yang Lumbar Gate11 protocols
  • SP06Three Yin Intersection11 protocols
  • GB34Yang Mound Spring9 protocols
  • BL51Vitals Gate8 protocols
  • CV06Sea Of Qi8 protocols
  • GB30Jumping Circle8 protocols
  • GB39Suspended Bell8 protocols

Other points on the Bladder Meridian

BL01BL02BL03BL04BL05BL06BL07BL08BL09BL10BL11BL12BL13BL14BL15BL16BL17BL18BL19BL20BL21BL22BL23BL24BL25BL26BL27BL28BL29BL30BL31BL32BL33BL34BL35BL36BL37BL38BL39BL40BL41BL42BL43BL44BL45BL46BL47BL48BL49BL50BL51BL53BL54BL55BL56BL57BL58BL59BL60BL61BL62BL63BL64BL65BL66BL67