# SP18 Tianxi (Celestial Cleft) – Spleen Meridian

天谿 · tiān xī

Location: In the 4th intercostal space 6 thumb widths lateral to the anterior midline.

Cautions: Avoid deep needling; risk of pneumothorax.

Canonical page: https://acuiq.com/points/sp18

## Indications

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

Breast Abscess, Breast Abscess, Benefit Breasts, Benefit Breasts, Benefit Descend Qi, Benefit Regulate Qi, Cough, Descend Qi, Breathing Shortness Of Breath Problems, Breathing Shortness Of Breath Problems, Chest Fullness, Chest Fullness, Costal Lateral Fullness, Costal Lateral Fullness, Hiccups, Lactation Deficiency, Lactation Deficiency, Ache Pain, Ache Pain, Chest Pain, Chest Pain, Rib Pain, Rib Pain, Inhalation Pain, Inhalation Pain, Phlegm Throat Rattling, Phlegm Throat Rattling, Qi Running Piglet, Qi Running Piglet, Regulate Qi, Excessive Sneezing, Excessive Sneezing

## Most often selected alongside SP18

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

- BL23 (Kidney Shu Point) – 2 protocols
- ST16 (Breast Window) – 2 protocols
- ST36 (Leg Three Miles) – 2 protocols
- BL13 (Lung Shu Point) – 1 protocols
- BL14 (Absolute Yin Shu Point) – 1 protocols
- BL16 (Governing Vessel Shu Point) – 1 protocols
- BL18 (Liver Shu Point) – 1 protocols
- BL20 (Spleen Shu Point) – 1 protocols

## Protocols using SP18

| Symptoms | Points | Course | Source | Kind | Caveat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer Gastric, Cancer Advanced, Post-chemotherapy | LU10, ST16, ST36, SP18, BL21, BL23, BL43, GB42, CV12 | 168 days | doi:10.1155/2020/8274021 | trial | Point selection reported in a published study. |
| Fatigue, Poor Appetite, Voice Weakness, Pulse Deep, Pulse Thin, Pulse Weak, Upright Zheng Qi Weakness, Phlegm, Asthma, Asthma Paroxysmal, Bronchial Asthma, Sputum, Breathing Short, Sleepless, Waist Pain, Stools Dry, Urine Scanty, Urine Red, Complexion Pale, Lips Blue, Sweating, Tiredness, Tongue Coating White, Tongue Coating Moist, Lung Deficiency, Kidney Deficiency, Middle Burner Qi Deficiency, Cold Bl13, Poor Appetite, Voice Weakness, Pulse Deep, Pulse Thin, Pulse Weak, Upright Zheng Qi Weakness, Asthma Paroxysmal, Bronchial Asthma, Breathing Short, Waist Pain, Stools Dry, Urine Scanty, Urine Red, Complexion Pale, Lips Blue, Tongue Coating White, Tongue Coating Moist, Lung Deficiency, Kidney Deficiency, Middle Burner Qi Deficiency, Cold Bl13 | ST36, SP06, SP18, BL13, BL20, BL23, KD27, CV04, CV06 | 13 days | Acupuncture Point Prescriptions, entry ACC2 | text | Point selection recorded in a clinical text or case report. |
| Liver Qi Stagnation, Liver Qi Stagnation | LI17, LI18, ST09, ST15, ST16, ST18, ST25, ST26, ST27, SP13, SP18, HT03, HT04, SI11, BL14, BL16, BL18, BL31, KD21, XB02T9 | 7 days | Yang Yong-Xuan, clinical point-selection notes | text | Point selection recorded in a clinical text or case report. |

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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