Er Jian Tip of the Ear, Ear Apex

What does Er Jian (Ear Apex) do?

Er Jian clears heat rapidly — especially heat rising to the head and eyes — benefits the eyes and throat, reduces fever, and is used as an adjunct to help lower blood pressure. It is an extra point at the very top of the ear.

• Clears heat rapidly — the point’s defining action, above all heat rising to the head and eyes
• Benefits the eyes — relieving redness, swelling and pain
• Benefits the throat — relieving swelling and pain
• Reduces fever, and is used adjunctively to help lower blood pressure

A bloodletting point for acute heat. Er Jian (“Ear Apex”, coded EX-HN-6) is one of the classic points pricked to bleed for a fast, short-course release of excess heat — the ear apex being richly vascular and easy to reach. It is often the first point chosen when the picture is acute red, hot eyes; a hot sore throat; or fever. The blood-drawing method, not retained needling, is its signature technique.

The blood-pressure note, honestly. Ear-apex bleeding appears in traditional and some modern protocols as an adjunct that may modestly help lower blood pressure — but hypertension is a medical condition requiring medical management, and this is at most a supportive measure, never a treatment. Any claim here should be read in that light.

On the name. “Er Jian” means Ear Apex or Ear Tip — er the ear, jian the tip or point. The point at the top of the ear.

Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references (extra-point action, location and translation records queried against our own data), cross-referenced against multiple online sources.

What is Er Jian used for?

Er Jian is used for red, swollen, painful eyes, febrile disease, and eye screens (nebula/corneal opacity). Our own indication record is reproduced here in full.

• Redness, swelling and pain of the eyes
• Febrile diseases (fever)
• Nebula (a screen or opacity over the eye)

Acute heat of the head and eyes. The red painful eye and the eye screen are the eye-and-heat action; febrile disease is the general heat-clearing use. All are acute-heat pictures, which is exactly what a rapid bloodletting point addresses. Its throat and blood-pressure uses (in its actions) widen the picture in practice.

An honest and necessary note. A red, painful eye requires medical assessment — glaucoma, uveitis and corneal disease threaten sight and are urgent. Fever with confusion, stiff neck, rash, or in a very young child or frail person requires urgent assessment. An opacity or screen over the eye needs an ophthalmologist. This record documents classical use only.

How it is combined. With LI-11 Qu Chi and DU-14 Da Zhui for fever, and with GB-20 Feng Chi and Tai Yang (pricked to bleed) for the red hot eye. All held here.

Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references (extra-point indication and action records; the DU-14, GB-20 and LI-11 records queried from our own data), cross-referenced against multiple online sources.

Where is Er Jian located?

Er Jian is at the very top of the ear — fold the ear forward, and the point is at the apex of the fold.

• At the apex (highest point) of the ear
• Found by folding the ear forward: the point sits at the top of the folded ear

Folding the ear finds it. Bringing the top of the ear forward toward the face brings its highest point to a definite apex; Er Jian sits right there. No measurement is needed — the fold makes the landmark. It is an easy point to locate for the bloodletting it is used for.

On the name. “Er Jian” — Ear Apex, as noted above.

Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references (extra-point location and translation records, retained unchanged, against our own data).

• A Manual of Acupuncture (p. 568): When the ear is folded forwards, this point lies at the apex of the ear.

How is Er Jian needled?

Our own record gives two methods: a very shallow perpendicular insertion of about 0.1 cun, or — the classic method — pricking to bleed; moxibustion of 3–5 cones is also recorded. What follows is a neutral record of what the reference literature documents. It is not instruction, and this page does not teach technique.

• Bleeding technique (the signature method): after cleaning the ear apex, the point is pricked with a fine lancet or three-edged needle to release a few drops of blood, then pressure is held with a sterile swab. This is the classic approach for acute heat, in place of retained needling.
• Angle and depth as recorded: perpendicular, about 0.1 cun, if needled rather than pricked.
• Moxibustion: recorded as 3–5 cones.
• Regional anatomy: the ear apex is thin skin over cartilage, richly supplied by branches of the superficial temporal and posterior auricular vessels.

Hazard, stated proportionately. This is a low-hazard point: no cavity, no organ, cartilage beneath thin skin. The considerations are those of any bloodletting — sterile technique and clean-up — and the ear cartilage’s poor blood supply means any sign of infection must be taken seriously (cartilage infection is hard to treat). Our record carries no arterial caution at Er Jian. Only a qualified practitioner should perform the bleeding.

What is not claimed. No safe-depth study is needed at a prick or 0.1 cun. No case report naming Er Jian was located.

Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references (extra-point needling record, retained unchanged including the bleeding method, against our own data), cross-referenced against multiple online sources; regional anatomy from standard anatomical description.

Is there research on Er Jian, and what should a reader know?

No trial isolates Er Jian. Where it appears it is one component of a protocol, and a study that includes a point in a protocol is not evidence about that point.

What this page can state with confidence. Er Jian (“Ear Apex”, EX-HN-6) is an extra point at the top of the ear, one of the classic points pricked to bleed for a rapid release of excess heat — used for red hot eyes, sore throat and fever, and as an adjunct that may modestly help lower blood pressure. Its signature method is bloodletting, done with sterile technique by a qualified practitioner.

A safety note. A red painful eye and high blood pressure are matters for medical care; this page records classical use and says so.

A note on searching for it. Er Jian is coded EX-HN-6 (older texts vary, e.g. M-HN-9/10); note it must not be confused with LI-02 Er Jian (a different point, same romanisation but different characters — “Second Interval”). Any claim should be checked against which Er Jian a source means.

Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references (extra-point action, indication and location records queried, against our own data).