🌿 Folk Prescriptions

1. Pressing Method: Press with the thumb or palm root on a specific area or acupoint, gradually applying downward pressure and holding the position. Avoid rigid movements—this is an inducing technique applicable to all body parts. Clinically, pressing methods include finger pressing, palm pressing, and elbow pressing.
Finger Pressing: Smaller contact area allows precise control of stimulation intensity. It can open blockages, dispel cold, relieve pain, and also serve cosmetic and health purposes—making it one of the most commonly used health-preserving tuina techniques. For example, regularly pressing facial and eye acupoints can enhance beauty and protect vision.
Palm Pressing: Larger contact area with milder stimulation, suitable for treating large, flat areas such as the back, waist, and abdomen.
Elbow Pressing: Use the prominent olecranon process of the bent elbow to press the body surface. This method delivers strong pressure and intense stimulation, suitable only for thick, muscular areas such as the waist and buttocks.
During pressing, the contact area must remain fixed against the skin without slipping. Pressure should increase gradually from light to heavy—never apply sudden, violent force. Pressing is often combined with rubbing to form the “press-rub” compound technique: once sufficient depth is reached, perform gentle, small-amplitude circular motions, blending firmness with softness for a balanced, effective manipulation.
2. Rubbing Method
Use the palm or fingertip to adhere to the surface of an acupoint, performing rhythmic circular motions using the wrist and forearm. Rubbing methods include finger rubbing, palm rubbing, and palm-root rubbing.
Finger Rubbing: Use the surfaces of the index, middle, and ring fingers to adhere to a specific area, performing rhythmic circular motions centered on the wrist, involving the palm and fingers.
Palm Rubbing: Use the palm surface to adhere to a specific area, performing rhythmic circular motions centered on the wrist, involving the palm and fingers.
Palm-Root Rubbing: Use the big and little fish-hook areas of the palm to rub the body surface. Keep fingers slightly raised and joints slightly flexed, using wrist strength to sway left and right. The procedure can be alternated between both hands.
When using the rubbing method, keep elbows naturally bent, wrists relaxed, fingers and palms naturally extended, and movements smooth and coordinated. Frequency should be around 120 times per minute. This method applies mild, gentle stimulation, commonly used on the chest, abdomen, and flanks. Regularly rubbing the abdomen and flanks can promote qi circulation, relieve chest tightness, regulate digestion, and enhance appetite.
3. Pushing Method: Bring four fingers together and tightly press against the skin, pushing muscles upward or sideways. Pushing methods include flat pushing, straight pushing, rotary pushing, and convergent pushing. Here we illustrate only the flat pushing method, which includes finger flat pushing, palm flat pushing, and elbow flat pushing:
(1) Finger Flat Pushing: Use the thumb pad, with the other four fingers spread to assist, pushing along the direction of meridian pathways or muscle fibers. This method is commonly used on the shoulders, back, chest, abdomen, waist, buttocks, and limbs.
(2) Palm Flat Pushing: Place the flat palm on the skin, focusing pressure on the palm root, and push in a specific direction. Two palms can also be stacked and pushed in the same direction. This method is suitable for larger areas.
Elbow Flat Pushing: After bending the elbow, use the olecranon process to push in a specific direction. This method delivers strong stimulation and is suitable only for thick, developed muscle areas such as the buttocks and the Bladder Meridian along the back and spine.
When using the pushing method, ensure fingers, palms, and elbows remain tightly adhered to the skin. Apply steady, slow, and even force. This technique can be applied to all body parts, enhancing muscle excitability, promoting blood circulation, and having the effect of relaxing tendons and activating meridians.
4. Gripping Method: To grip means to pinch and lift. This technique involves using the thumb and the tips of the index and middle fingers to grasp a specific area or acupoint symmetrically, alternating between tightening and loosening. During application, keep the wrist relaxed and flexible, with the fingertips bearing the pressure. Movements should be smooth and continuous, avoiding abrupt stops. Force should gradually increase from light to heavy, then decrease from heavy to light—never apply sudden force. This is also a commonly used health-preserving tuina technique, effective for dispelling wind and cold, relaxing tendons, unblocking meridians, opening orifices, and relieving pain. It is suitable for the neck, shoulders, and limbs, and is often used as a concluding technique in tuina.
5. Rubbing Method: Use the fleshy part of the fingers or the palm to adhere to an acupoint, performing light, slow, circular motions. Rubbing methods include finger rubbing, thenar rubbing, and palm rubbing.
① Finger Rubbing: Lightly press the thumb, middle finger, or index and middle fingers on a specific acupoint or area, performing gentle, small-amplitude circular motions.
② Thenar Rubbing: Use the thenar eminence of the palm to adhere to a specific area or acupoint, performing light circular motions.
③ Palm Rubbing: Focus pressure on the palm root, relax the wrist, and perform small-amplitude circular motions using the wrist and forearm. This is one of the most commonly used health-preserving tuina techniques, effective for broadening the chest, regulating qi, eliminating stagnation, promoting blood circulation, reducing swelling, and relieving pain. It is suitable for all body parts—for example, rubbing and pressing Zhongwan (CV12) and the abdomen in combination with other techniques can greatly benefit gastrointestinal function.
6. Friction Method: Use the thenar eminence, palm root, or hypothenar eminence of the hand to adhere to a specific area, performing direct back-and-forth friction to generate heat. This method strengthens qi and blood, activates meridians, removes wind and dampness, warms the channels, and has excellent health-preserving effects.
7. Pointing Method: Use the tip of the thumb, or the middle, index, or thumb middle phalanx to press or point at a specific area or acupoint. It opens obstructions, promotes blood flow, relieves pain, and adjusts organ functions. Commonly used for treating abdominal cramping, lower back and leg pain, etc.
8. Striking Method: Strike the body surface with the back of the fist, palm root, lateral side of the hypothenar eminence, fingertips, or a mulberry stick. Types include fist striking, hypothenar striking, fingertip striking, and stick striking. This method relaxes tendons, harmonizes qi and blood. Apply quick, brief force, striking vertically without dragging. The speed should be even and rhythmic. Fist striking is commonly used on the back and waist; palm striking on the head, waist, buttocks, and limbs; lateral striking on the back and limbs; fingertip striking on the head, face, chest, and abdomen; stick striking on the head, back, and limbs.
9. Twisting Method: Grasp a specific area with both palms or palm sides, apply opposing force rapidly, and perform fast twisting motions while moving up and down. This method harmonizes qi and blood, unblocks meridians, and relaxes muscles. It is suitable for limbs and flanks. When using this method, both hands must apply symmetrical force, twist quickly, and move slowly.
10. Twisting Method: Use the thenar and radial sides of the thumb and index finger of one hand to pinch and twist the fingers of the other hand, applying symmetrical force. This method relaxes tendons, lubricates joints, and is suitable for fingers, dorsum of hands, and toes. Movements should be flexible and rapid; avoid stiff or rigid actions.
11. Pinching Method: Use the nail of the thumb or index finger to repeatedly press and pinch a specific acupoint. Often used in conjunction with rubbing, e.g., pinching and rubbing Renzhong (GV26), where pinching precedes rubbing. This method opens meridians, calms the spirit, soothes the mind, and clears consciousness.
12. Shaking Method: Hold the distal end of the patient’s limb with both hands and perform continuous, small-amplitude vertical tremors with slight force, creating a sense of joint relaxation. This can be divided into upper-limb shaking and lower-limb shaking. This method loosens meridians and lubricates joints, often used in combination with twisting as a concluding technique to give patients a feeling of relaxation. Once proficient in these techniques, one should also understand the main content of self-massage for health preservation. Typically, the following movements are recommended, preferably performed in sequence:
(a) Mouth Cleansing: Gently close the lips, then use the tongue to vigorously sweep inside the teeth and lips, rotating right and left 30 times each.
(b) Teeth Chewing: With lips lightly closed, rhythmically tap the upper and lower teeth about 35 times.
(c) Hand Rubbing: Rub both palms together forcefully, gradually increasing speed, for about 30 times until warm.
(d) Face Rubbing: Use warmed palms to rub the face, fingers slightly bent, fingers together, hands lightly covering the face, sweeping downward from forehead to chin, mimicking washing the face 30 times.
(e) Sun Temple Rubbing: Use the tips of both middle fingers to rotate and rub the temples, first clockwise, then counterclockwise, each 7–8 times.
(f) Jingming Point Pressing: Use the tips of both index fingers to press the bilateral Jingming points, about 20 times.
(g) Eye Rubbing: Use the tips of the index, middle, and ring fingers to rotate and rub around the eye sockets, first inward then outward, each 7–8 times.
(h) Taiyang Point Pressing: Use the tips of both index fingers to press and rotate on the bilateral Taiyang points, 15 times in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions.
(i) Scalp Combing: Slightly bend the ten fingers, use fingertips to touch the scalp, combing from forehead to occiput, about 25 times.
(j) Drumming the Heavenly Gate: First, press both ear holes tightly with the palms, then lightly tap the occipital bone with the middle three fingers 15 times. Next, cover the ear holes with palms, keep fingers pressed on the occipital bone, suddenly release, repeating open-close claps 15 times. Finally, insert the middle or index fingers into the ear holes, rotate three times, then suddenly pull out. Repeat this entire sequence 3–5 times.
(k) Chest Rubbing: Place both palms on the outer upper part of the breasts, rotate and rub, 10 times clockwise and 10 times counterclockwise.
(l) Shoulder Muscle Grabbing: Use the right thumb and index and middle fingers to pinch and lift the left shoulder muscle, then use the left thumb, index, and middle fingers to pinch and lift the right shoulder muscle. Alternate hands, doing 10–15 repetitions each.
(m) Dan Tian Friction: Use the index, middle, and ring fingers of the right hand to rub the lower abdomen, centered on the Dan Tian point, generally 30–50 times.
(n) Waist Rubbing: First rub both hands together until warm, then firmly press the waist and rub downward to the coccyx, alternating hands up and down, performing 30 rubs.
(o) Huan Tiao Point Pressing: Use the left thumb to press the left Huan Tiao point on the buttock, then use the right thumb to press the right Huan Tiao point, alternating, 10 times per side.
(p) Thigh Friction: Hold one thigh firmly with both hands, rub downward to the knee, then rub back up to the thigh root, repeating 20 times.
(q) Calf Rubbing: Use both palms to firmly hold one calf, rotate and rub, 20–30 times per side.
(r) Yongquan Friction: First rub both hands together until warm, then use the middle three fingers of the right hand to rub the left sole, centered on the Yongquan point, generally 30–50 times until the sole feels warm. Then use the left hand’s middle three fingers to warm the right sole.
Each of these massage movements has its own health benefits. For example, chewing teeth improves blood circulation around the teeth, strengthens them, and helps prevent certain dental diseases; tongue movement massages oral mucosa and gums, stimulates saliva secretion, aiding digestion; face rubbing promotes facial blood circulation, maintains skin elasticity and tone; drumming the heavenly gate helps prevent dizziness and neck stiffness; abdominal rubbing improves abdominal blood circulation, promotes intestinal motility, and aids digestion; Yongquan friction, by improving local circulation, supports walking ability and helps prevent insomnia and palpitations. Thus, practicing these movements daily offers definite value in health preservation and disease prevention. Additionally, Li Yefu’s book *Self-Help Tuina Exercises* introduces a set of self-help tuina exercises worth referencing. Selected excerpts are as follows:
1. Deep breathing 10 times to circulate qi and blood throughout the body;
2. Rub both Jingming points 20 times;
3. Rub both eye sockets 10 times;
4. Rub and press Yintang 20 times;
5. Rub and press both Taiyang points 15 times;
6. Push apart the forehead 20 times;
7. Push both Yingxiang points 20 times;
8. Push both Tinggong points 20 times;
9. Push both cheekbones 20 times;
10. Rub Baihui, 20 times per hand;
11. Press and rub both Fengchi points 20 times;
12. Friction Dazhui, 15 times per hand;
13. Press and rub both Feishu points 20 times;
14. Press and rub both Pishu points 30 times;
15. Rub and friction both Shenshu points 40 times;
16. Friction the lumbar-sacral region, 30 times per side;
17. Rub Tan Zhong, 20 times per hand;
18. Rub Zhongwan, 40 times per hand;
19. Rub Qihai, 30 times per hand;
20. Friction the upper chest, 20 times per side;
21. Friction both Zhangmen points 30 times;
22. Friction the lower abdomen, 30 times per side;
23. Rub and grab both shoulders 20 times;
24. Grab and press both Jianyu points 20 times;
25. Rub and press both Zusanli points 10 times;
26. Grab both Neiguan and Waiguan points 10 times;
27. Grab and press both Hegu points 20 times;
28. Friction the upper limbs 7–10 times;
29. Twist and rub the fingers 3 times;
30. Press and point both Fengshi points 20 times;
31. Rub and press both Xuehai points 10 times;
32. Grab both Yinlingquan and Yanglingquan points 10 times;
33. Press and rub both Zusanli points 20 times;
34. Press and rub both Sanyinjiao points 10 times;
35. Strike the lower limbs 10 times;
36. Rub the lower limbs 10 times.
The tuina and massage health practices described above, known as active tuina, emphasize strengthening the body and preventing illness for longevity. When doctors perform tuina on patients, it is called passive tuina, primarily used for treating diseases. Tuina possesses the characteristics of being “effective, convenient, and economical.” Especially self-tuina, which requires no equipment or special environment, and needs neither needles nor medicine, can achieve the goals of disease prevention and health enhancement. It is widely popular and highly recommended for everyone to learn and apply.