Acupuncture at He gu (LI4) and Tai chong (LR3), Qu chi (LI11) and Xing jian (LR2) can effectively decrease blood pressure; the effect of controlling diastolic pressure is better than captopril. It can also improve the symptoms of dizziness, soreness and weakness of waist and knees, and palpitations (3). 

Similarly Tai chong was used as a key point in another study for hypertension. This study found acupuncture to be more effective at reducing blood pressure vs Diovan (4). 

Studies on single point acupuncture for Tai chong and blood pressure show its beneficial effects (5)

Other studies have looked into the mechanisms behind this.

• One found that single point acupuncture at Tai chong reduced blood pressure, decreased the number of nerve cells and, paradoxically, downregulated Glucose transporter protein 1 – whose role in glucose transport is intimately connected to vascular function, nitric oxide production, and oxidative stress, though downregulation should not reduce blood pressure. The researchers surmised that it was the change in nerve cells that was the mechanism behind the reduction, not the change in GLUT1 (6). 
• Further research also ruled out the thalamus and medulla, that are traditionally believed to control blood pressure. They believed that Tai chong could activate anterior cingulated gyrus to regulate the parasympathetic nerve and lower blood pressure, and through anterior cingulated gyrus, the connection with the surrounding areas is strengthened to improve the cognitive impairment caused by long-term hypertension (7). 
• Others found that endothelin 1 was downregulated and that this could be related to the lowered blood pressure (8) as well as atrial natriuretic peptide (9). 
• On its own, or more impactfully, with Nei guan (PC6), Tai chong can reduce hypertension in rats, this may be because of its ability to lower aspartic acid and glutamic acid in the rostral ventrolateral medulla region (10). 
• Electroacupuncture at Tai chong and Bai hui (DU20) inhibited the development of cardiac hypertrophy and improved the cardiac function in spontaneous hypertensive rats, possibly through regulation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling pathway (11).
• Twirling manipulation at Tai chong reduces blood pressure, possibly via protein pathways in the hippocampus. Proteins were expressed in the serotonergic synapse pathway, renin-angiotensin system, the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway, and the peroxisome pathway, which were all also related to BP regulation (12).
• Acupuncture at Zu san li and Tai chong could effectively control the left ventricular hypertrophy by decreasing the systolic and diastolic blood pressure, prevent cardiac remodeling, and protect myocardial cells (13). 

After pricking Taichong the average blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery undergoes a very sudden and marked increase; subsequently, it decreases and tends to stabilize at a slightly higher level compared with the baseline, recorded before needle insertion. Nei guan, on the other hand, causes vasodilation and marked reduction in blood flow velocity (14). This could help migraine patients. 

Neural labeling was observed for LR3 Cholera toxin subunit B injection, with an orderly arrangement in the L–3 to L–5 DRG, L–3 to L–5 spinal dorsal horn, gracile nucleus, and L–4 to L–6 spinal ventral horn (15)

A systemic review and meta-analysis of fMRI changes with acupuncture at Tai chong, in healthy adults, showed it selectively activates brain regions linked to pain perception, emotional processing, and linguistic functions. Extending the needle retention duration intensifies the activation of the right superior frontal gyrus. These findings enrich our comprehension of the neurobiological underpinnings of acupuncture’s role in pain mitigation and emotional regulation, including depression (16)

Acupuncture at He gu (LI4) and Tai chong may improve learning-memory ability in Alzheimer Disease rats, which may be associated with its effects in reducing hippocampal Abeta 42 expression and IL-1beta content and in up-regulating IL-2 level (17)

Electroacupuncture at Feng Fu (DU16) and Tai chong can improve Parkinson’s Disease rats’ behavioral changes, which is probably related with its effects in up-regulating the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase in the substantia nigra and down-regulating the expression of α-synuclein and EIF2α-ATF4-GRP78/Bip signaling (18)

Acupuncture at Tai chong, He gu, and locally on the voice box can reduce the anxiety emotion, relieve muscular tension dysphonia-associated systemic symptoms, and increase the blood oxygen saturation levels of the laryngeal muscle in patients with primary muscular tension dysphonia. These effects are elevated with voice training methods (19). 

Tai chong can be added to point prescriptions for functional constipation, needled or pricked and bled, when there is qi stagnation, with good effect (20). 

Electroacupuncture at Tai chong, and, independently, at Qu quan (LV8) can benefit chronic hepatic disease patients by speeding up blood flow velocity of the portal vein, increasing portal vein blood flow volume, increasing the total blood flow volume of the liver, increasing the resistance indexes of the hepatic artery, decreasing the blood flow velocity of the hepatic artery, and decreasing Doppler blood perfusion indexes in the liver (21).

Acupuncture of Zu san li and Tai chong can effectively down-regulate ileum somatostatin, substance P and vasoactive intestinal peptide levels in diarrhoea type irritable bowel syndrome rats, which may contribute to its effect in relieving IBS (22). 

Electroacupuncture of Tai chong may reduce distillate-spirit induced mild alcoholic liver injury in rats, lowering the activities of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase of the liver supernatant. Elevated levels of these enzymes are an indicator of liver damage (23). 

Acupuncture at Tai chong (LR3), Qi men (LR14), Gan shu (BL18) and Zu san li (ST36) can effectively down-regulate serum PDGF content, and expression levels of PDGF-beta R mRNA and protein, ERK mRNA and protein of hepatic stellate cells in liver fibrosis rats, which may contribute to its effect in improving liver fibrosis through down-regulating PDGF signal pathway activity (24).

Tai chong is the most commonly used acupoint in children with Tourette’s syndrome, with the core point prescription being Feng chi (GB20), He gu (LI4), Tai chong (LR3), Bai hui (DU20), San yin jiao (SP6), Zu san li (ST36) (25). 

Tai chong is the third most used point for depression after Bai hui and San yin jiao. A core prescription for depression would be Bai hui (DU20), Tai chong (LR3), Shen men (HT7), Zu san li (ST36), Nei guan (PC6) and San yin jiao (SP6) (26). 

Acupuncture at Hegu (LI 4) and Taichong (LR 3), Baihui (GV 20) and Yintang has a similar, if not better clinical effect, on depression than prozac and with fewer side effects, after a month of treatment (27). 

Electroacupuncture at Zu san li (ST36) and Tai chon can enhance endurance in rats with 15Hz seemingly the optimal frequency (28)

Xing jian, along with Tai chong (LV3), Nei ting (ST44) and Xian gu (ST43), is one of the most commonly prescribed point combinations for impotence. Yin gu (KI10), Ran gu (KI2) and Zhong feng (LR4) and Shen shu (BL23) and Yang gu (SI5) are the other two (29). 

Acupuncture at He gu and Tai chong could benefit insomnia, leading to clinical outcomes as well as statistically higher flicker fusion frequency, in combat athletes (30).

Tai chong could be a beneficial adjunct point for paediatric nocturnal enuresis when there is a damp-heat component (31). However, there was no control or placebo group in this study, it was a report on 56 patients outcomes.

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