# ST43 Xiangu (Sunken Valley) – Stomach Meridian

陷谷 · xiàn gǔ

Location: In the depression the distal to the junction of the 2nd and 3rd metatarsal bones.

Cautions: No specific contraindications.

Canonical page: https://acuiq.com/points/st43

## Indications

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

Belching, Benefit Regulate Intestines, Benefit Regulate Spleen, Benefit Regulate Stomach, Stomach Rumbling, Stomach Rumbling, Common Cold, Abdominal Bloating, Abdominal Bloating, Fever, Fullness, Chest Fullness, Chest Fullness, Costal Lateral Fullness, Costal Lateral Fullness, Toe Extending Stiffness, Toe Flexing Stiffness, Immobility Toe Extending, Immobility Toe Flexing, Malaria, Edema, Oedema Face, Oedema Face, Pain, Abdominal Pain, Abdominal Pain, Top of Foot Pain, Top of Foot Pain, Regulate Intestines, Regulate Spleen, Regulate Stomach, Shivering, Spontaneous Sweating, Spontaneous Sweating, Swelling, Swollen Eyes, Swollen Eyes, Facial Swelling, Facial Swelling

## Most often selected alongside ST43

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

- ST36 (Leg Three Miles) – 11 protocols
- GB41 (Foot Governor Of Tears) – 8 protocols
- LI11 (Pond At The Bend) – 8 protocols
- PC06 (Inner Gate) – 7 protocols
- LV03 (Great Surge) – 5 protocols
- SP03 (Great White) – 5 protocols
- ST44 (Inner Court) – 5 protocols
- BL66 (Foot Valley Passage) – 3 protocols

## Protocols using ST43

| Symptoms | Points | Course | Source | Kind | Caveat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knee Pain, Osteoarthritis Knee, Disability Mobility | LI11, ST34, ST35, ST43, SP05, KD03, KD10, GB34 | 56 days | doi:10.1093/ecam/nen080 | trial | Point selection reported in a published study. |
| Knee Pain, Osteoarthritis Knee, Stomach Deficiency | ST35, ST41, ST43, SP09, SI05, BL39, GB41 | 42 days | doi:10.1186/1745-6215-14-129 | trial | Point selection reported in a published study. |
| Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, Vasospasm Cerebral, Neurological Deficit Delayed Ischemic | ST36, ST43, SP04, PC06 | 14 days | doi:10.1186/s13063-015-0591-7 | trial | Point selection reported in a published study. |
| Neuropathy Peripheral, Neuropathic Pain, Paresthesia, Chemotherapy-Induced Neuropathy, Sensory Loss, Muscle Weakness | ST25, ST36, ST43, SP06, SP10, BL13, BL17, BL58, GB41, LV03, GV09, GV11, GV12, GV14 | 84 days | doi:10.1186/s12885-016-3037-z | trial | Point selection reported in a published study. |
| Pruritus, Dermatitis Atopic, Sleep Disturbance, Skin Eczema | LI02, LI11, ST36, ST43, SP03, SI02, SI03, BL66, PC06, TB03, TB06, GB41, LV03 | 28 days | doi:10.1155/2017/1926806 | trial | Point selection reported in a published study. |
| Dyspepsia, Pruritus, Dermatitis Atopic, Skin Dryness, Skin Erythema | LI02, LI11, ST36, ST43, SP03, SI02, SI03, BL66, PC06, TB03, TB06, GB41, LV03 | 28 days | doi:10.1155/2019/1907578 | trial | Point selection reported in a published study. |
| Insomnia, Eczema, Dyspepsia, Pruritus, Dermatitis Atopic | LI02, LI11, ST36, ST43, SP03, SI02, SI03, BL66, PC06, TB03, TB06, GB41, LV03 | 28 days | doi:10.1186/s12906-021-03306-1 | 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. |
| Pruritus, Atopic Dermatitis, Eczema Skin, Gastric Stiffness, Gastric Tenderness | LI11, ST36, ST43, PC06, GB41 | 28 days | doi:10.1155/2021/5584247 | trial | Point selection reported in a published study. |
| Impotence, Erectile Dysfunction | ST43, ST44, SI05, BL23, LV02, LV03 | – | doi:10.13703/j.0255-2930.20200519-0008 | trial | Point selection reported in a published study. |
| Lumbar Pain, Herniation Lumbar Disc Acute, Restricted Lumbar Mobility | ST43, BL31, BL65, GB41 | 13 days | doi:10.13703/j.0255-2930.20240411-0001 | trial | Point selection reported in a published study. |
| Neuropathic Pain, Neuropathy Peripheral Diabetic, Neuropathy Diabetic Peripheral | ST36, ST43, ST44, SP02, SP03 | 28 days | doi:10.13703/j.0255-2930.20200720-0007 | trial | Point selection reported in a published study. |
| Fire Stomach, Fire Stomach | LI08, LI11, ST37, ST43, ST44 | 7 days | Yang Yong-Xuan, clinical point-selection notes | text | Point selection recorded in a clinical text or case report. |
| Limbs Numbness, Limbs Pain, Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy, Abnormal Sensation Limbs | LI04, LI10, LI11, LI15, ST09, ST31, ST32, ST34, ST36, ST40, ST43, ST44, SP03, SP06, SP08, SP09, SP10, BL13, BL17, BL18, BL20, BL23, GB34, CV04, CV06 | 98 days | ZHANG Cheng, MA Yuan-xu, YAN Ye. Clinical Effects of Acupuncture for Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2010, 30(1): 13-14 | text | Point selection recorded in a clinical text or case report. |
| Constipation, Insomnia, Neuralgia Trigeminal, Irritability, Facial Pain | ST43, LV05 | 10 days | Chen Shao-dong & Lu Xun. Experience in Clinical Application of Ligou Point. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2009, 29(2): 104-106 | text | Point selection recorded in a clinical text or case report. |
| Motor Dysfunction, Spinal Cord Injury, Paralysis Paraplegia | ST32, ST33, ST34, ST36, ST40, ST41, ST42, ST43, BL37, BL39, BL40, BL55, BL56, GB40 | 28 days | Wang Yuanhui, Zhang Lei, Pan Guodong, Liu Jing, Zhang Hongrui, Song Xu, Wang Qiang. Traditional Chinese Medicine comprehensive therapy for the improvement of motor function in spinal cord injury patients. J Tradit Chin Med, 2016, 36(5): 618-624 | text | Point selection recorded in a clinical text or case report. |
| Sah (subarachnoid Hemorrhage), Cerebral Vasospasm | ST36, ST43, SP04, PC06 | – | Acupuncture for Cerebral Vasospasm After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02275949 | text | Point selection recorded in a clinical text or case report. |
| Dysmenorrhea | ST43, ST44 | – | Randomized Controlled Trial of Acupuncture for Dysmenorrhea. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01116453 | 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