Priapism

How Chinese medicine differentiates priapism — a persistent, often painful erection unrelated to arousal — the four patterns you'll actually meet in practice, and the points for each. Acupuncture only — no herbs.

This page is educational, for practitioners and students — it is not a diagnostic tool and does not replace a proper in-person assessment. Priapism lasting more than four hours is a urological emergency that can cause permanent damage — seek immediate medical care rather than acupuncture first; the patterns below are for understanding the TCM picture and for supportive care afterward, never as a substitute for emergency treatment.

General Acupuncture Points

Acupuncture points traditionally used for priapism — 8 key points, used across the patterns below rather than tied to just one.

Point	Key action
LR-3	Subdues Liver-Yang. Clears Heat.
LR-2	Drains Liver-Fire and subdues Liver-Yang.
SP-6	Strengthens the Spleen. Resolves Dampness. Benefits the Lower Burner.
REN-3	Resolves Dampness from the Lower Burner. Promotes the Bladder function of Qi transformation.
KI-3	Tonifies the Kidneys (both Yin and Yang). Benefits Essence.
BL-23	Tonifies the Kidneys and nourishes Kidney-Essence.
KI-6	Nourishes Kidney-Yin. Calms the Mind.
SP-10	Cools Blood. Invigorates Blood and eliminates stasis.

The Four Patterns

↑ reinforcing ↓ reducing ⊥ even method.

1. Damp-Heat in the Liver Channel View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Persistent painful erection, bitter taste, dark/scanty urine, red swollen genitals, heavy sensation in the groin.

Tongue: Red body with thick, greasy yellow coating. Pulse: Wiry, slippery, rapid.

Treatment principle: Clear Damp-Heat from the Liver channel, cool Blood, restore balanced flow.

LR-3 ↓ LR-2 ↓ SP-6 ⊥ REN-3 ↓

Note: no moxa, medical urgency. This is a genuine match to this site's genital-specific Damp-Heat-in-the-Liver slide — the source's own explicit red-swollen-genitals content directly matches.

2. Liver-Fire Blazing View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Rigid painful erection, red face, throbbing temple headache, loud tinnitus, irritability, dark/scanty urine.

Tongue: Red body with dry yellow coat. Pulse: Wiry, rapid, forceful.

Treatment principle: Drain Liver-Fire, calm blazing Heat, allow the erection to subside.

LR-3 ↓ LR-2 ↓

Note: no moxa, medical urgency. Direct exact-name match with this site's own Liver-Fire-blazing slide.

3. Kidney-Yin Deficiency With Empty-Heat Blazing View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Less rigid persistent erection, night sweats, lower back soreness, dry throat/mouth at night, dark/scanty urine.

Tongue: Red, thin, dry body with little or no coating. Pulse: Fine, rapid.

Treatment principle: Nourish Kidney-Yin, anchor Yang, calm restless ministerial Fire.

KI-3 ↑ BL-23 ↑ KI-6 ↑

Note: no moxa given the Empty-Heat. Direct match with this site's own Kidney-Yin-deficiency-Empty-Heat-blazing slide.

4. Blood Stagnation View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Fixed stabbing penile pain, dark/purplish penis colour, pain worsens at night or with pressure, history of trauma.

Tongue: Dark purple with stasis spots. Pulse: Choppy or wiry.

Treatment principle: Invigorate Blood, dispel stasis, unblock collaterals, relieve pain.

SP-10 ↓ LR-3 ↓ SP-6 ⊥

Note: no moxa, medical urgency. Direct match with this site's own Liver-Blood-stasis slide via the well-established dark/purple stasis-spot-tongue marker.

Related conditions

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