Acupuncture Points for Mood Swings

3 sourced protocols, each with its citation.

AcuiQ posts on X about the papers it indexes. Follow @acu_iq

Points cited for Mood Swings

How often each point appears across the 3 entries ranked highest for Mood Swings. Citation frequency, not a recommendation.

  • CV04Original Qi GateConception Vessel2 of 3
  • SP06Three Yin IntersectionSpleen Meridian2 of 3
  • ST25Celestial PivotStomach Meridian2 of 3
  • ST29ReturnStomach Meridian2 of 3
  • BL32Second Bone HoleBladder Meridian1 of 3
  • BL33Middle Bone HoleBladder Meridian1 of 3
  • CV03Central PivotConception Vessel1 of 3
  • GB13Spirit RootGallbladder Meridian1 of 3
  • GV20100 ConvergencesGoverning Vessel1 of 3
  • GV24Spirit CourtGoverning Vessel1 of 3
  • KD03Great StreamKidney Meridian1 of 3
  • LV03Great SurgeLiver Meridian1 of 3

Each card names its evidence kind. What these labels mean

Protocol (4 points)

100%

ST25 · ST29 · BL33 · CV04

Point 1 of 4

ST25Celestial Pivot

ST25 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Stomach Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 天樞 (tiān shū)

🎯 Location: 2 thumb widths lateral to the center of the umbilicus.

⚠️ Cautions: Acute appendicitis is a surgical emergency – treatment here is adjunctive at most and must never delay surgical assessment. Avoid needling over the gravid uterus after the first trimester; where used in pregnancy, needle shallowly and only on a clear obstetric indication.

🛡️ Treats: Poor Appetite, Diarrhea, Constipation, Vomiting, Abdominal Bloating

ST29Return

ST29 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Stomach Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 歸來 (guī lái)

🎯 Location: 4 thumb widths below umbilicus 2 thumb widths lateral to the CV03.

⚠️ Cautions: Traditionally forbidden in pregnancy – these are the points used to bring on labour at term. Controlled data show no excess of preterm birth or stillbirth (Carr 2015), but in pregnancy needle only on a clear obstetric indication.

🛡️ Treats: Absent Periods, Swelling, Pain, Uterine Prolapse, Infertility

BL33Middle Bone Hole

BL33 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Bladder Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 中髎 (zhōng liáo)

🎯 Location: On the sacrum medial and inferior to the BL32 just at the 3rd posterior sacral foramen.

⚠️ Cautions: Caution in sacroiliac dysfunction.

🛡️ Treats: Constipation, Abdominal Bloating, Pain, Urinary Retention, Infertility

CV04Original Qi Gate

CV04 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Conception Vessel

🇨🇳 Chinese: 關元 (guān yuán)

🎯 Location: On the anterior midline 3 thumb widths below umbilicus.

⚠️ Cautions: Avoid needling over the gravid uterus after the first trimester; where used in pregnancy, needle shallowly and only on a clear obstetric indication. Bleeding in pregnancy requires obstetric assessment.

🛡️ Treats: Cough, Diarrhea, Anxiety, Shortness of Breath, Kidney Deficiency

Study-reported

Electroacupuncture · a 88-day course

Point selection reported in a published study.

doi:10.1155/2013/657234 ↗
Corroborated by a second study. ST25, ST29, CV04 also appear in another study-reported protocol for the same search. A second publication is not necessarily a second research group. doi:10.1155/2014/718675 ↗

Protocol (13 points)

100%

ST25 · ST28 · ST29 · ST36 · SP06 · BL32 · KD03 · GB13 · LV03 · CV03 · CV04 · GV20 · GV24

Point 1 of 13

ST25Celestial Pivot

ST25 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Stomach Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 天樞 (tiān shū)

🎯 Location: 2 thumb widths lateral to the center of the umbilicus.

⚠️ Cautions: Acute appendicitis is a surgical emergency – treatment here is adjunctive at most and must never delay surgical assessment. Avoid needling over the gravid uterus after the first trimester; where used in pregnancy, needle shallowly and only on a clear obstetric indication.

🛡️ Treats: Poor Appetite, Diarrhea, Constipation, Vomiting, Abdominal Bloating

ST28Waterway

ST28 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Stomach Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 水道 (shuǐ dào)

🎯 Location: 3 thumb widths below umbilicus 2 thumb widths lateral to the CV04.

⚠️ Cautions: Traditionally forbidden in pregnancy – these are the points used to bring on labour at term. Controlled data show no excess of preterm birth or stillbirth (Carr 2015), but in pregnancy needle only on a clear obstetric indication.

🛡️ Treats: Constipation, Back Pain, Shoulder Pain, Edema, Urinary Retention

ST29Return

ST29 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Stomach Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 歸來 (guī lái)

🎯 Location: 4 thumb widths below umbilicus 2 thumb widths lateral to the CV03.

⚠️ Cautions: Traditionally forbidden in pregnancy – these are the points used to bring on labour at term. Controlled data show no excess of preterm birth or stillbirth (Carr 2015), but in pregnancy needle only on a clear obstetric indication.

🛡️ Treats: Absent Periods, Swelling, Pain, Uterine Prolapse, Infertility

ST36Leg Three Miles

ST36 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Stomach Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 足三里 (zú sān lǐ)

🎯 Location: 3 thumb widths below ST35, 1 finger breadth (middle finger) from anterior border of the tibia.

⚠️ Cautions: Caution in cases of severe varicose veins.

🛡️ Treats: Cough, Fever, Poor Appetite, Diarrhea, Shortness of Breath

SP06Three Yin Intersection

SP06 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Spleen Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 三陰交 (sān yīn jiāo)

🎯 Location: 3 thumb widths directly above the tip of the medial malleolus posterior to the medial border of the tibia.

⚠️ Cautions: Traditionally forbidden in pregnancy – these are the points used to bring on labour at term. Controlled data show no excess of preterm birth or stillbirth (Carr 2015), but in pregnancy needle only on a clear obstetric indication.

🛡️ Treats: Diarrhea, Dizziness, Tinnitus, Palpitations, Abdominal Bloating

BL32Second Bone Hole

BL32 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Bladder Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 次髎 (cì liáo)

🎯 Location: On the sacrum medial and inferior to the posterior superior iliac spine just at the 2nd posterior sacral foramen.

⚠️ Cautions: Caution in sacroiliac dysfunction.

🛡️ Treats: Constipation, Pain, Urinary Retention, Infertility, Sciatica

KD03Great Stream

KD03 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Kidney Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 太谿 (tài xī)

🎯 Location: In the depression the between tip of the medial malleolus and achilles tendon.

⚠️ Cautions: No specific contraindications.

🛡️ Treats: Cough, Chest Pain, Shortness of Breath, Heat Deficiency, Asthma

GB13Spirit Root

GB13 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Gallbladder Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 本神 (běn shén)

🎯 Location: 0.5 thumb widths within the hairline of the forehead 3 thumb widths lateral to the GV24.

⚠️ Cautions: No specific contraindications for head points.

🛡️ Treats: Chest Pain, Phlegm, Wind, Deviation Eye, Facial Droop

LV03Great Surge

LV03 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Liver Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 太衝 (tài chōng)

🎯 Location: On the dorsum of the foot in the depression the distal to the junction of the 1st and 2nd metatarsal bones.

⚠️ Cautions: Monitor blood pressure and avoid strong stimulation where hypertension is uncontrolled or unstable; hypertensive crisis is a medical emergency.

🛡️ Treats: Cough, Diarrhea, Anxiety, Shortness of Breath, Sweating

CV03Central Pivot

CV03 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Conception Vessel

🇨🇳 Chinese: 中極 (zhōng jí)

🎯 Location: On the anterior midline 4 thumb widths below umbilicus.

⚠️ Cautions: Avoid needling over the gravid uterus after the first trimester; where used in pregnancy, needle shallowly and only on a clear obstetric indication. Empty the bladder before needling.

🛡️ Treats: Absent Periods, Back Pain, Pain, Damp, Edema

CV04Original Qi Gate

CV04 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Conception Vessel

🇨🇳 Chinese: 關元 (guān yuán)

🎯 Location: On the anterior midline 3 thumb widths below umbilicus.

⚠️ Cautions: Avoid needling over the gravid uterus after the first trimester; where used in pregnancy, needle shallowly and only on a clear obstetric indication. Bleeding in pregnancy requires obstetric assessment.

🛡️ Treats: Cough, Diarrhea, Anxiety, Shortness of Breath, Kidney Deficiency

GV20100 Convergences

GV20 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Governing Vessel

🇨🇳 Chinese: 百會 (bǎi huì)

🎯 Location: On the midline of the head 5 thumb widths directly above the midpoint of the anterior hairline approximately on the midpoint of the line connecting apex of the ears.

⚠️ Cautions: No specific contraindications.

🛡️ Treats: Cough, Chest Pain, Palpitations, Jaundice, Qi Deficiency

GV24Spirit Court

GV24 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Governing Vessel

🇨🇳 Chinese: 神庭 (shén tíng)

🎯 Location: 0.5 thumb widths directly above the midpoint of the anterior hairline.

⚠️ Cautions: No specific contraindications.

🛡️ Treats: Fever, Shortness of Breath, Dizziness, Palpitations, Depression

Study-reported

Needling · a 90-day course

Point selection reported in a published study.

doi:10.1155/2014/718675 ↗
Corroborated by a second study. ST25, ST29, CV04 also appear in another study-reported protocol for the same search. A second publication is not necessarily a second research group. doi:10.1155/2013/657234 ↗

Single-point entry

100%

SP06Three Yin Intersection

SP06 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Spleen Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 三陰交 (sān yīn jiāo)

🎯 Location: 3 thumb widths directly above the tip of the medial malleolus posterior to the medial border of the tibia.

⚠️ Cautions: Traditionally forbidden in pregnancy – these are the points used to bring on labour at term. Controlled data show no excess of preterm birth or stillbirth (Carr 2015), but in pregnancy needle only on a clear obstetric indication.

🛡️ Treats: Diarrhea, Dizziness, Tinnitus, Palpitations, Abdominal Bloating

Study-reported

Acupressure · a 90-day course

Point selection reported in a published study.

doi:10.1007/s44192-025-00153-1 ↗
Corroborated by a second study. SP06 also appears in another study-reported protocol for the same search. A second publication is not necessarily a second research group. doi:10.1155/2014/718675 ↗
Hot Spots™ Press Needles
Sterile 1.5mm press needles on 3M backing tape · 100 per box
$19.99
per box · choose the quantity at checkout
AcuiQ Self-Treatment Guide
Acupressure you can do at home, every protocol traced to a trial. – $12.99, free updates for life

How the studies delivered it

What the 3 studies behind the entries above ran, counted once per study. A record of the trials, not a recommendation.

  • Electroacupuncture1 of 3
  • Needling1 of 3
  • Acupressure1 of 3

Course: the 3 studies that gave a length ran a median of 90 days (middle half 89 days to 90 days).

After a treatment: what large safety surveys recorded, and which reactions need a doctor.

Disclaimer: The acupoint information provided is for educational purposes only.