Yangbai (GB14): The Forehead Point for a Frontal Headache and Tired Eyes

Where Yangbai Sits

This point sits on the forehead, about one finger-width above the middle of each eyebrow, on a line running straight up from the pupil when you look ahead.

The line this point belongs to runs down the side of the body like a seam. It starts at the outer corner of the eye, winds back and forth across the side of the head, and on one of those turns it swings forward onto the forehead. That forward turn is where this point sits. From there the channel sweeps back over the head to the base of the skull, crosses the top of the shoulder, runs down the side of the ribs, hip and leg, and ends at the fourth toe. Vietnamese and Chinese texts call it the Gallbladder channel. This is its fourteenth stop.

The old texts place it one body inch above the eyebrow, directly above the pupil. A body inch here means the width of your own thumb at its widest; one finger laid flat across the forehead is close enough. The World Health Organization standard of 2008 uses the same description. Look straight ahead in a mirror, picture a line from the centre of your eye straight up over the eyebrow, and go one thumb-width above the brow on that line.

Underneath lies the frontal muscle, the thin, flat muscle that raises your eyebrows and wrinkles your forehead. Raise your brows as if surprised and you will feel it move under your fingertip. Beneath the muscle is the bone of the forehead, close to the surface here. That bone is why the point feels firm and why you can press with confidence: you are pressing onto bone, well above the eye socket.

The skin here is served by a nerve that comes out of a small notch in the bony ridge above the eye and runs up over the forehead. It is a branch of the fifth cranial nerve, the main nerve of feeling for the face. Many people can feel that notch if they run a fingertip along the ridge under the middle of the eyebrow. The nerve climbs from there, past this point, toward the hairline.

Why This Spot

On the anatomical side, the frontal muscle works far more than most people realise. It lifts the brow every time you peer at small print, strain to see a screen, or frown in worry or concentration. Over a day it can tire like any other muscle, and a tired forehead muscle is a common part of the tight, pressing ache across the front of the head. This point sits right on that muscle, over firm bone, so it is easy to press well. You can reach it with your elbows resting on a table, without lifting your arms high.

In this tradition the forehead belongs chiefly to the Stomach channel, while the side of the head belongs to the Gallbladder channel. This point sits where the Gallbladder channel reaches onto the forehead, and the old books describe it as a meeting place with a linking vessel that ties the yang channels together. That is why it is used for headaches across the brow and for complaints of the eyes, which in this tradition the Gallbladder channel serves closely.

The name points to the eyes. Yang is the bright, outward side of things, and white suggests clearness and light. The idea is a point that helps the eyes see clearly. Its Vietnamese name, Dương Bạch, carries the same two words.

What the Old Texts Say About Yangbai

The Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, the Jiayi Jing, compiled by Huangfu Mi in the third century, set the location still used today: one body inch above the eyebrow, directly above the pupil. Because it is placed by the eyebrow and the eye, it has stayed steady through centuries of copying.

The Vietnamese handbook of points and channels by Ngo Trung Trieu, published by Hong Duc, lists it for pain at the front of the head, for complaints of the eyes, and for numbness of the face. The same book gives the plain way to find it used in this page: on the straight line through the middle of the eye, one body inch above the eyebrow, with the eyes looking straight ahead.

In the wider tradition the point turns up in combinations for the eyes and the brow: eyes that ache after close work, eyelids that twitch, a brow that feels heavy and pressing. It is often worked together with the inner end of the eyebrow and the temple, forming a small circuit around the eye. Teachers have handed down that use for many generations. It is a reputation built on long use rather than proof, but it tells you where the old practitioners turned when the forehead and the eyes felt strained together.

Points That Work With Yangbai

The first partner sits at the inner end of the eyebrow. Run your fingertip along the brow toward the nose; at the very start of the eyebrow, on the bony ridge, there is a small notch or dip. In this tradition it is commonly paired with this one for tired, aching eyes and a heavy brow, and the two can be worked one after the other in the same sitting.

The second sits at the temple. Find the outer end of your eyebrow and the outer corner of your eye. Go back about one finger-width from the point midway between them, and you will feel a soft hollow on the flat of the temple. It is used with this one when the ache spreads from the forehead around to the side of the head.

The third is at the back of the head. Run your fingers up the back of the neck to the base of the skull. On each side, in the hollow between the two thick neck muscles, there is a soft dip under the bone. It is used when a frontal headache comes with a stiff neck, which is common after long hours of reading or sitting at a screen.

How to Find and Press Yangbai

Getting Into Position

Sit at a table and rest both elbows on it, so your arms stay relaxed while you work. Take off your glasses. Close your eyes once you have found the spot. If you prefer, lie on your back with a pillow under your head and reach up with both hands.

How to Find It

Look straight ahead, ideally in a mirror. Picture a line running up from the centre of your eye, over the middle of the eyebrow. Lay one finger flat across your forehead on that line, with its lower edge touching the top of the eyebrow. The area is right at the top edge of that finger. Raise your eyebrows once to feel the muscle move, then let the forehead relax.

Now probe the area with a rounded-tip pressing tool, or the tip of your thumb with the nail cut short. Move slowly in small steps, a little up, down, in and out. Most of it will feel like ordinary forehead. One spot will sting: a small, sharp, pinpoint tenderness. That spot is the point. It may sit a few millimetres away from where you started. The sting is what tells you that you are on it.

How to Press It

Keep the tip of the tool or thumb on the stinging spot and rub in small circles, about the size of a fingernail, roughly one each second. Aim the pressure straight back into the bone, never downward toward the eye. You can work both sides at once, one hand on each side. Keep the tip on the same spot; do not let it slide over the skin, which can leave the forehead red and sore.

How Much Pressure

Sharp under the tool is right. That small sting tells you that you are on the point. The test is what happens when you lift off: the sting should fade within moments. If the pain stays after you lift the tool, if it spreads, or if the skin turns swollen, hot or red, stop and leave it for several days. The skin of the forehead is thin, so you need less force here than on a leg. If you are holding your breath or frowning, you are pressing too hard. Ease off until you can breathe slowly through the sting.

How Long

Work each side for one to three minutes. In the first sessions keep to about one minute, because the point is often most tender at the start. As the days go on, add a little time, up to three minutes. Do both sides. Once or twice a day is plenty. Pressing longer does not add benefit; it mostly adds soreness.

When to Do It

Mid-afternoon suits the forehead ache that builds after reading, sewing, puzzles or screens. It is a good pause between tasks: close your eyes, press, and rest your eyes for a minute afterwards. Before bed is a good time too, as part of winding down. Do not press in the middle of the night. If a headache wakes you, pressing then tends to wake you further. Keep the pressing for the day and the evening, and mention headaches that wake you to your doctor.

What This Won't Do

It will not remove the reason your forehead aches. Common reasons include eyes that need new or different glasses, long hours of close work without breaks, poor light, a tight neck, too little sleep, too little water, skipped meals, and the overuse of painkillers, which can itself keep a headache going. A point above the eyebrow will not out-argue any of that. Pressing works best alongside the plain things: an eye test every year or two, good light for reading, regular breaks to look into the distance, water and regular meals.

It will not replace a diagnosis either, and with headaches this matters. Call emergency services for a sudden, severe headache that peaks within seconds or minutes and feels like the worst of your life, a headache with fever and a stiff neck, or a headache with weakness or numbness in an arm or leg, slurred speech, a drooping face, confusion or loss of vision. The same applies to any headache after a blow to the head. Do not press in any of these cases. A painful red eye with blurred vision and haloes around lights needs urgent care the same day. See your doctor soon for a new headache pattern after the age of fifty, or one that worsens week on week.

Safety First

Do not press over skin that is broken, burned, infected, badly bruised or rashy, or over a lump you have not had checked. Leave the area alone after a recent injury or surgery to the face or forehead, including cosmetic procedures, until your doctor says it is fine. Keep the pressure aimed back into the bone and away from the eye. If you take blood thinners, bruise easily or have a bleeding disorder, use lighter pressure, keep sessions short, and talk to your doctor first.

Stop at once if the pain stays after you lift off, spreads, or if the area becomes swollen, hot or red. Stop too if pressing makes you dizzy or brings on a headache worse than before. Nothing here requires you to push through pain. For the full list of cautions and the situations where pressing on yourself is not appropriate, read the full safety guide before you begin.

Questions People Ask

Where is the Yangbai (GB14) pressure point? Yangbai (GB14) sits on your forehead, about one finger-width above the middle of each eyebrow. Look straight ahead and picture a line running up from the centre of your eye; the point is on that line. Probe until one spot stings. In English it is called the Yang White; in Vietnamese, Dương Bạch.

How long should I press Yangbai? One to three minutes on each side. Keep the first sessions to about a minute, then add a little as the days go on, up to three. Once or twice a day is enough. Work both sides of the forehead.

Can I press both sides at once? Yes. Many people use both thumbs, or a tool in each hand, and rest their elbows on a table. Working both sides together keeps the face balanced and takes less time.

Is it safe to press so close to the eyes? The point sits on the bone of the forehead, well above the eye, so you are pressing onto bone, not toward the eye. Keep your eyes closed and your pressure aimed straight back into the forehead. If you wear glasses, take them off first.

When is a headache an emergency? Call emergency services for a sudden, severe headache that feels like the worst of your life, a headache with fever and a stiff neck, a headache with weakness, numbness, slurred speech, a drooping face or loss of vision, or a headache after a blow to the head. Do not press any point in these situations.

Does it help with a sinus headache? In this tradition the point is used for pressure across the forehead, and many people find it comforting when the forehead feels full and heavy. A sinus problem with fever, thick discoloured mucus, swelling around the eye or pain lasting more than a week needs a doctor.

Other Points in This Library

Each of these sits within reach of the same hand. They are often worked in the same sitting.

This page shares general information about a traditional practice. It is not medical advice and does not replace what your doctor has given you. If you are pregnant, managing a health condition, or unsure whether this applies to you, check with your doctor first.

The whole inner edge of the foot, laid out on one page with photographs, is in The Foot Map — the free book. For every point in this library, see the full pressure point index.

(Point shown: GB14 · Yangbai · Yang White · Dương Bạch.)