Yingxiang (LI20): The Point Beside the Nostril for a Stuffy, Blocked Nose

Where Yingxiang Sits

This point sits on each side of the nose, in the groove that runs from the side of the nose down to the corner of the mouth, right beside the outer edge of the nostril wing.

The line this point belongs to begins at the tip of the index finger. It runs up the back of the hand between the thumb and first finger, along the outer forearm to the elbow, over the front of the shoulder and up the side of the neck. It crosses the cheek to the upper lip, crosses to the opposite side under the nose and ends here, beside the nostril. Vietnamese and Chinese texts call it the Large Intestine channel. This is its twentieth and final stop. The point on your right nostril belongs to the line that began on your left hand.

The landmark is the nostril wing itself, the soft, curved flap that flares out at each side of the nose. Its outer edge meets the cheek in a clear crease. That crease continues down and out toward the corner of the mouth, deepening as it goes, and becomes the smile line. The point lies in that crease, right against the wing. The international standard places it level with the middle of the wing's outer edge. The Vietnamese handbook draws a line across the base of the wing and puts the point where that line meets the crease, a touch lower. The difference is a few millimetres, and your fingertip will settle it.

Underneath lie the small muscles that lift the upper lip and flare the nostril. A branch of the facial artery runs up beside the nose here toward the inner corner of the eye. The skin is served by branches of the nerve that comes out of the bone below the eye, a branch of the face's main sensory nerve; that nerve carries feeling from the cheek, the side of the nose and the upper lip. Branches of the nerve that moves the face run to the muscles here as well. The face is richly supplied with nerves, which is why this small spot can feel so sharp.

Why This Spot

On the anatomical side, the groove beside the nose sits over the bony edge of the opening into the nose, where the soft nostril wing attaches to the skull. The skin is thin and the nerve supply is dense, so a light touch is felt clearly. When the lining of the nose is swollen, many people notice a dull fullness on either side of it, and this is where they rub without thinking. You can reach the spot sitting at a table, lying in bed or waiting in a queue.

In this tradition the point is the meeting place of two channels. The Large Intestine channel ends here, and the Stomach channel, which begins at the side of the nose and runs down the front of the body, picks up from it. The old teachers saw this as a junction for the whole face. Because it sits at the opening of the nose, it became the first point they reached for when the nose was blocked or the sense of smell was dulled.

The name tells the story. Ying means to welcome or to greet; xiang means fragrance. A point that lets fragrance be welcomed again is one used for a nose that cannot smell. Its Vietnamese name, Nghênh Hương, carries the same idea.

What the Old Texts Say About Yingxiang

The oldest description of this channel's path is in the Lingshu, the Spiritual Pivot, a Han-dynasty text. Its tenth chapter traces the line up from the hand to the face and says that it crosses at the middle of the upper lip, the left going to the right and the right to the left, and rises to clasp the nostril. That crossing is why the old teachers paired the point on one side of the nose with the hand on the other side. It is a detail that has been copied, unchanged, for two thousand years.

The World Health Organization's 2008 standard for point locations places the point in the groove that runs from the nose to the mouth, level with the midpoint of the outer edge of the nostril wing. The standard is precise because the groove and the wing are such reliable landmarks on any face.

The Vietnamese handbook of points and channels by Ngo Trung Trieu, published by Hong Duc, lists it for complaints of the nose, an itchy face, a swollen or puffy face, and problems affecting the nerves and muscles of the face. Its quick way to find the point is a tenth of a finger-width beside the outer edge of the nostril, which is another way of saying right against the wing.

Look at what that list has in common. It is the nose first, and then the face around it. The point was trusted for what it sits on. That reputation comes from long use rather than proof. It tells you that many hands, over many generations, rubbed this crease when breathing through the nose felt hard.

Points That Work With Yingxiang

The first partner is on the hand. Bring your thumb against the side of your first finger and find the highest point of the muscle mound between them; then relax the hand and press into the web there. In this tradition it is commonly paired with this one for the nose and the face, and the old texts favour the hand on the opposite side.

The second sits at the inner end of the eyebrow, in the small notch where the brow begins above the inner corner of the eye. It is used with this one when the stuffiness runs up between the eyes and the forehead feels heavy.

The third is at the back of the head, in the hollow under the skull on each side of the neck, between the two strong neck muscles. It is used when a blocked nose comes with a stiff neck and an ache at the base of the skull, as it often does with a cold.

How to Find and Press Yingxiang

Getting Into Position

Sit upright at a table with both elbows resting on it, so your hands reach your face without lifting your shoulders. Let your face go soft and your lips part slightly. If you prefer, lie on your back with a pillow under your head and work both sides together.

How to Find It

Touch the curved outer edge of one nostril wing with a fingertip. Slide sideways off the wing onto the cheek; you will feel the crease where the two meet. Stay in that crease, against the wing, and move your fingertip up and down between the middle of the wing and its base. That short stretch is the area.

Now probe it with a small rounded-tip pressing tool, or the tip of your index or middle finger with the nail cut short; the thumb tip is often too broad for the face. Move slowly, a millimetre at a time. Most of the crease will feel like ordinary skin. One spot will sting: a small, sharp, pinpoint tenderness. That spot is the point. Some people feel the nose tingle or the eyes water a little; that settles when you lift off.

How to Press It

Keep the tip on the stinging spot and rub in small circles, about the size of a lentil, roughly one each second. Aim the pressure slightly inward and upward, toward the side of the nose, not straight back. Do not pinch or squeeze the nostril shut. You can work both sides at once, one hand on each, which keeps the face balanced and saves time. Keep the tip in place; do not drag the skin.

How Much Pressure

Light. The face needs far less than a leg or a shoulder. Sharp under the tool is right, and the sting should fade within moments of lifting off. If the pain stays after you lift, spreads into the teeth or eye, or the skin turns red, swollen or hot, stop and leave it for several days. If your eyes are screwed shut or you are holding your breath, you are pressing too hard. Ease off until you can breathe slowly through the sting.

How Long

Work for one to three minutes, both sides. In the first sessions keep to about one minute; the face is often tender at the start. As the days go on, add a little time, up to three minutes. Once or twice a day is plenty. Rubbing longer tends to leave the skin sore, not the nose clearer.

When to Do It

Before bed is a good time, when a nose that blocks up lying down can make it harder to settle. The morning suits a nose that is stuffy on waking. Do not press in the middle of the night. If a blocked nose wakes you, pressing then tends to wake you further. Sit up, sip some water, and keep the pressing for the day and the evening.

What This Won't Do

It will not clear an infection, shrink a swelling inside the nose, or straighten the thin wall that divides the nose. A blocked nose has many causes: colds, allergies to dust or pollen, dry air, certain medicines and sprays used for too long, small growths inside the nose, and a bent dividing wall. A spot beside the nostril cannot change any of those. Pressing is a gentle, cheap thing to do alongside the plain steps that help most: rinsing the nose with salt water, keeping the bedroom air moist, raising the head of the bed a little, and asking your pharmacist or doctor about what you already use.

It will not replace a diagnosis either. A blocked nose on one side only that does not clear, bleeding from the nose that keeps coming back, pain and swelling over the cheek or around the eye, or a high fever with facial pain all need to be seen. Thick, coloured discharge that lasts more than ten days belongs with a doctor. Loud snoring with pauses in breathing or waking up gasping needs checking, because it can mean the airway is closing in sleep. Loss of smell that lasts for weeks is worth mentioning at your next visit.

Safety First

Do not press over skin that is broken, spotty, infected, sunburned or rashy, or over a cold sore. Leave the area alone after recent surgery on the nose or face, after a recent injury to the nose, or if the side of the nose is swollen and hot. Do not press into the nostril. If you take blood thinners, bruise easily, have a bleeding disorder or reduced feeling in the face, 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 your nose begins to bleed. 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 Yingxiang (LI20) pressure point? Yingxiang (LI20) sits on each side of the nose, in the groove that runs from the nose down to the corner of the mouth, right next to the outer edge of the nostril wing. Probe the groove beside the lower half of the wing until one spot stings. In English it is called the Welcome Fragrance; in Vietnamese, Nghênh Hương.

Should it be level with the middle or the bottom of the nostril? Books differ by a few millimetres. The international standard sets Yingxiang (LI20) level with the middle of the nostril wing's outer edge; the Vietnamese handbook places it on a line through the base of the wing. Probe the groove between those two levels and let the sting tell you where to stop.

How long should I press Yingxiang? One to three minutes. Keep the first sessions to about a minute, because the face is sensitive, then add a little as the days go on. You can work both sides at once with two fingers or two tools. Once or twice a day is enough.

Does it unblock a stuffy nose? In this tradition the point is commonly used for a stuffy or blocked nose, and many people notice that the nose feels a little clearer while they work it. We cannot promise it will open a nose blocked by a cold, an allergy or a bent inner wall of the nose. If your nose has been blocked for weeks, see your doctor.

My nose blocks up when I lie down and wakes me. What can I do? Press both sides before bed, as part of winding down, and not in the middle of the night. Many people do better with the head of the bed raised a little and the bedroom air not too dry. Tell your doctor if a blocked nose keeps waking you, especially if you snore loudly or wake gasping.

Can I press it if I have a spot or sore there? No. Leave the area alone until the skin has settled. Pressing a spot or cold sore beside the nose can spread infection. Work the point on the back of the hand between the thumb and first finger in the meantime.

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: LI20 · Yingxiang · Welcome Fragrance · Nghênh Hương.)