Glossary

A group of points located on the front of the body and closely related to the Zangfu organs. 募 means "to raise, summon or recruit" and these are points where the Qi of the Zangfu gathers, making them useful diagnostic tools to assess the health of their corresponding organ.

A simple way of using them is to palpate the points to find out which organs are imbalanced, then palpate the corresponding channel. Wherever a corresponding sensation is felt along the channel, it can be treated and the Mu point re-palpated to determine its effectiveness and confirm the point selection.

They are:

There is little direct mention of these points in classical literature, except for allusions in the Su Wen, ch. 47: "Treatise on Strange Diseases," which states:

"When the Gallbladder is depleted, its Qi rises and overflows to cause a bitterness in the mouth, which can be treated with the Gallbladder Mu and Shu."

However, no list of Mu is given. The Nan Jing, ch. 67 also mentions the Mu points but no indication of their location with:

"The Five Zang Mu are on the Yin side, the Shu on the Yang side. What is meant by this? Yin diseases move to the Yang; Yang diseases move to the Yin. The Mu points are situated on the Yin surfaces; the Shu points are situated on the Yang surface."

From this a tradition has evolved locating the Mu points on the front of the body (the Yin surface) and using them to treat acute (Yang) diseases while the back Shu are preferred for chronic (Yin) diseases.