# LI03 Sanjian (Third Space) – Large Intestine Meridian

三間 · sān jiān

Location: When loose fist is made point is on the radial side of the index finger in the depression the proximal to the head of the 2nd metacarpal bone.

Cautions: No specific contraindications.

Canonical page: https://acuiq.com/points/li03

## Indications

An indication list is a reference index, not a prescription – see the protocols below for sourced treatments.

Benefit Teeth, Benefit Teeth, Benefit Throat, Benefit Throat, Stomach Rumbling, Stomach Rumbling, Chills, Common Cold, Damp, Diarrhea, Dryness Lips, Dryness Lips, Dry Mouth, Dry Mouth, Fever, Fright, Fullness, Chest Fullness, Chest Fullness, Heat, Finger Stiffness, Stiff Neck, Immobility Finger, Immobility Neck, Injury Cold, Injury Cold, Malaria, Nosebleed, Obstruction Throat, Obstruction Throat, Eye Pain, Eye Pain, Teeth Decay Pain, Teeth Decay Pain, Teeth Toothache Inferior Jaw Pain, Teeth Toothache Inferior Jaw Pain, Pharyngitis, Hand Dorsum Redness, Hand Dorsum Redness, Rhinitis, Excessive Sleepiness, Hand Dorsum Swelling, Hand Dorsum Swelling, Tinnitus, Tongue Thrusting, Tongue Thrusting, Water Binding Chest, Water Binding Chest, Water Binding Costal Lateral, Water Binding Costal Lateral, Wind

## Most often selected alongside LI03

Sourced protocols in the index pairing each point with this one. Corpus frequency, not a combination to use.

- LI04 (Junction Valley) – 5 protocols
- LI11 (Pond At The Bend) – 5 protocols
- SI03 (Back Stream) – 5 protocols
- LI14 (Upper Arm Prominence) – 4 protocols
- LI15 (Shoulder And Clavicle) – 4 protocols
- ST36 (Leg Three Miles) – 4 protocols
- TB05 (Outer Gate) – 4 protocols
- TB14 (Shoulder Bone Hole) – 4 protocols

## Protocols using LI03

| Symptoms | Points | Course | Source | Kind | Caveat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dental Pain, Anesthesia Teeth-extraction | LI03, LI04, LI20, ST02, ST04, ST05, ST06, ST07, SI18, CV24, GV26 | 1 days | doi:10.1093/ecam/nem056 | trial | Point selection reported in a published study. |
| Globus Pharyngeus, Throat Sensation Of Lump, Gastrointestinal Functional Disorder | LU11, LI03, ST36, CV22 | 1 days | doi:10.3389/fmed.2020.00179 | trial | Point selection reported in a published study. |
| Muscle Strength Shoulder, Athletic Performance Explosive Force | LU01, LU04, LI03, LI14, TB12, TB13, TB14 | 1 days | doi:10.1155/2021/5585605 | trial | Point selection reported in a published study. |
| Pruritus, Gastrointestinal Symptoms, Atopic Dermatitis, Eczema Skin | LI03, LI11, ST36, ST43, PC06, GB41 | 28 days | doi:10.1155/2021/5584247 | trial | Point selection reported in a published study. |
| Paralysis Upper Limb, Cerebral Palsy, Spasticity, Cerebral Palsy Spastic Hemiplegic, Hand Problems, Arm Problems, Upper Limb Weakness, Spastic Hemiplegia | LI03, LI04, LI05, LI10, LI11, LI13, LI14, LI15, SI03, SI05, SI09, SI11, PC06, TB04, TB05, TB14, GB21 | 84 days | doi:10.1177/2515690X251317438 | trial | Point selection reported in a published study. |
| Spasm Facial, Blepharospasm, Twitching Facial, Meige Syndrome, Orofacial Dystonia | LU11, LI03, ST02, TB17, GB20, GB41, LV01, XH04 | 20 days | doi:10.13703/j.0255-2930.20240918-k0004 | trial | Point selection reported in a published study. |
| Paralysis Upper Limb, Cerebral Palsy Spastic Hemiplegic | LI03, LI04, LI05, LI10, LI11, LI13, LI14, LI15, SI03, SI05, SI09, SI11, PC06, TB04, TB05, TB14, GB21 | 84 days | doi:10.1177/2515690X251317438 | trial | Point selection reported in a published study. |
| Damp Large Intestine, Heat Large Intestine, Damp Large Intestine, Heat Large Intestine | LI01, LI03, LI09, LI11, ST22, ST25, SP04, SP15, SP16, BL25, BL27, BL28, BL37, BL39 | 7 days | Yang Yong-Xuan, clinical point-selection notes | text | Point selection recorded in a clinical text or case report. |
| Trigeminal Neuralgia | LI03, LI04, ST02, ST03, ST06, ST07, ST44, SI18, BL02, GB14, CV24 | 10 days | LU Liang. A Survey on Acupuncture Treatment of Trigeminal Neuralgia. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2010, 30(1): 68 | text | Point selection recorded in a clinical text or case report. |
| Hemiplegia, Finger Pain, Shoulder Pain, Wrist Pain, Shoulder-hand Syndrome | LI03, LI10, LI15, SI03, SI11, SI15, TB03, TB05, TB14 | 30 days | Li N, Tian F, Wang C, Yu P, Zhou X, Wen Q, Qiao X, Huang L. Therapeutic effect of acupuncture and massage for shoulder-hand syndrome in hemiplegia patients: a clinical two-center randomized controlled trial. J Tradit Chin Med 2012; 32(3): 343-346 | text | Point selection recorded in a clinical text or case report. |
| Crohn's Disease | LI03, ST25, ST36, ST37, SP04, SP06, SP09, LV03, CV12 | – | Acupuncture Treatment for Active Crohn's Disease. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02559037 | text | Point selection recorded in a clinical text or case report. |
| Muscle Hypertonia Post-stroke Upper Limb | LI03, LI05, LI07, LI14, LI15, SI03, TB03, TB05, TB09, TB10, TB13 | 28 days | Liu Xiafei, Bao Chunling, Dong Guirong. Using acupoint-to-acupoint penetrative needling to treat poststroke spastic paralysis: a clinical progress review. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2014 October 15; 34(5): 609-615. | text | Point selection recorded in a clinical text or case report. |
| Fibromyalgia Pain Musculoskeletal Diffuse | LI03, LI04, LI11, ST36, SP06, GB34, GV20 | 63 days | Bai Y, Guo Y, Wang H, Chen B, Wang Z, Liu Y, Zhao X, Li Y. Efficacy of acupuncture on fibromyalgia syndrome: a Meta-analysis. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2014; 34(4): 381-391. | text | Point selection recorded in a clinical text or case report. |
| Fibromyalgia Pain Musculoskeletal Diffuse | LU09, LU11, LI01, LI03 | 28 days | Bai Y, Guo Y, Wang H, Chen B, Wang Z, Liu Y, Zhao X, Li Y. Efficacy of acupuncture on fibromyalgia syndrome: a Meta-analysis. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2014; 34(4): 381-391. | text | Point selection recorded in a clinical text or case report. |
| Bi Syndrome, Fever Rheumatic, Arthritis Rheumatoid, Fibrositis, Neuralgia, Gout, Numbness, Finger Pain, Bi Syndrome, Fever Rheumatic, Arthritis Rheumatoid, Finger Pain | LI03, SI03, XU09A, XU09B, XU09C, XU09D, XU09E, XU09F, XU09G, XU09H | 7 days | sacredlotus.com | web | Point selection published on a website. Not peer-reviewed – check it before relying on it. |

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AcuiQ-authored prose (symptom and meridian descriptions, the wiki, the auricular crosswalk) is licensed CC-BY-4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The assembled protocol compilation is not: build on it with attribution, but do not redistribute it whole as a dataset – https://acuiq.com/terms. The underlying findings are the cited sources' claims – each entry carries its citation; verify against the source before relying on it. Not medical advice: https://acuiq.com/terms
