Nao Qing Clear the Brain

What does Nao Qing do?

Nao Qing clears the mind and relieves mental fog, and strengthens memory and concentration — a lesser-known extra point on the lower leg whose name means “Clear the Brain”.

• Clears the mind and relieves mental fog — for dullness, cloudiness and difficulty thinking clearly
• Strengthens memory and concentration — the cognitive action its name points to

A cognition point — and an honest note on how well it is documented. Nao Qing (“Clear the Brain”) is an extra point used for mental clarity and memory. It is sparsely documented: it does not appear in the major point references (such as Deadman & Al-Khafaji’s A Manual of Acupuncture), and independent clinical detail beyond “clears the mind, aids memory” is limited. Its location and this core function are corroborated by general extra-point compilations, cross-referenced across sources; we present it at that level of confidence and do not invent detail our sources do not support.

On the name. “Nao Qing” means Clear the Brain — nao the brain, qing clear or clarify. The name is the function.

Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references (extra-point action and translation records queried against our own data), cross-referenced against multiple online extra-point compilations; the point’s sparse documentation disclosed.

What is Nao Qing used for?

Nao Qing is used to clear the mind and improve memory. Our own indication record is brief, matching the point’s two recorded functions.

• Mental cloudiness / poor mental clarity
• Poor memory and concentration

A narrow, cognitive use. Unlike the well-documented points, Nao Qing carries only this cognitive indication in the sources we can corroborate. It is used adjunctively for mental fog and memory — typically with better-established points for the spirit and brain — rather than as a stand-alone.

An honest note. New or worsening problems with memory, concentration or clear thinking deserve medical assessment — causes range from stress, poor sleep, thyroid disease and depression to neurological conditions, and the treatable ones should be found. This record documents a classical/empirical use only, and one with limited documentation at that.

How it is combined. With the better-established cognition points — DU-20 Bai Hui, Si Shen Cong, HT-07 Shen Men and Yin Tang — for memory and mental clarity. All held here.

Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references (extra-point action records; the DU-20 and HT-07 records queried from our own data), cross-referenced against multiple online sources.

Where is Nao Qing located?

Nao Qing is on the front of the lower leg, two cun above ST-41, on the line from ST-36 to ST-41.

• 2 cun proximal to (above) ST-41 Jie Xi at the front of the ankle
• On the line joining ST-36 Zu San Li and ST-41 — the Stomach channel’s course down the front of the lower leg

Found on the Stomach-channel line. ST-41 sits in the hollow at the front of the ankle and ST-36 below the knee; the line between them runs down the front of the shin, and Nao Qing lies on it, 2 cun above the ankle point. This location is the one point of the record several sources agree on.

On the name. “Nao Qing” — Clear the Brain, as noted above.

Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references (extra-point location and translation records, retained unchanged; the ST-36 and ST-41 reference points queried from our own data), cross-referenced against multiple online sources.

• 2 cun proximal to ST-41 on the line joining ST-36 and ST-41

How is Nao Qing needled?

Our own record stores no specific needling technique or depth for this point — and we do not invent one. What follows is a neutral, honest account.

• No stored technique: because Nao Qing is a sparsely documented extra point, no reputable independent source giving a distinct needling depth or angle could be confirmed, so our record leaves the needling detail unset rather than guessed.
• By its location: it sits on the front of the lower leg over the tibialis anterior muscle, on the Stomach-channel line — a region where neighbouring points (ST-40, ST-41) are needled shallowly to moderately; but we state that as context, not as a specific instruction for this point.
• Regional anatomy: the anterior lower leg holds the tibialis anterior and the deep fibular nerve and anterior tibial vessels in the deeper compartment; the tibia lies medially.

Hazard, stated proportionately. As a front-of-shin point, this is a low-hazard region — no cavity, no organ. Our record carries no arterial caution at Nao Qing, and it is not among the nine points that do. In the absence of stored technique, any needling is a matter for a practitioner’s judgement, not a page instruction.

What is not claimed. No safe-depth study, and no specific stored technique, is asserted. No case report was located.

Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references (extra-point record, which stores no needling detail for this point, against our own data); regional anatomy from standard anatomical description.

Is there research on Nao Qing, and what should a reader know?

No trial isolates Nao Qing, and it is one of the least-documented points in this library — absent from the major point references, with clinical detail limited to mental clarity and memory.

What this page can state with confidence. Nao Qing (“Clear the Brain”) is a sparsely documented extra point on the front of the lower leg (2 cun above ST-41, on the ST-36–ST-41 line), used for mental clarity and memory. Its location and function are corroborated across extra-point compilations; specific needling detail is not, and we disclose that rather than invent it.

A note on honesty. This page is deliberately thinner than most in the library, because its sources are — and saying so is more useful than padding it with unverifiable detail.

A note on searching for it. “Nao Qing” / “Naoqing” returns place and personal names and little clinical material. Any claim should be checked against what a source actually documents.

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