Acupuncture chart ear: 10 zones and 5 master points

An acupuncture chart ear maps the outer ear as a microsystem, with each zone standing in for a region of the body. Reading one is a two-step job. Find the zone first, then locate the point inside it.

Most printable charts stop at the labels. They mark a hundred points or more, and none of them records which ear you treated or what happened next. So the chart ends up on the wall while the session notes live in a separate file. The template on this page keeps the map and the record in one place. What follows walks through the zones, the five master points, and the screening that decides whether you treat at all.

Key takeaways

Auricular maps follow an inverted body, so the head sits at the lobule and the feet sit at the top of the ear.

Point counts differ by system. The WFAS standard names 93 auricular points, and some Western atlases document more than 200.

The five master points are Shen Men, Point Zero, Sympathetic, Endocrine, and Allergy. They appear in most protocols.

Locate by zone first. Shen Men sits in the triangular fossa, Point Zero on the helix crus, and Endocrine in the intertragic notch.

Screen for ear infection, broken skin, a perforated eardrum, and implanted electrical devices before you place a needle or a seed.

The template runs to five pages: a zone map, the master points, a screening list, a session log, and a rebooking plan.

What is an acupuncture chart ear?

An acupuncture chart ear is a visual map of the outer ear, showing auricular points and the body regions they orient to. Acupuncturists, integrative practitioners, and wellness clinicians use it to choose points and to explain treatment to a client.

The chart treats the ear as a microsystem, so one small surface stands in for the whole body. Auricular maps follow an inverted body. The head sits at the lobule, and the feet sit at the top of the ear.

Point counts differ by system, so two charts rarely agree line for line. The World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies standard names 93 auricular points. Some Western atlases document more than 200. Pair one chart with one atlas, and stay inside that system.

Auricular acupuncture and auriculotherapy both work on one principle. Stimulating precise points on the outer ear can prompt a response elsewhere in the body. A printed chart also does a second job. It shows the client where you are working. That is often the moment the treatment starts to make sense to them.

What sits on each of the five pages

The download is a five-page working form, not a full point atlas. Here is what sits on each page.

• Page 1: client details, the goal in the client’s own words, and the consent checks you complete before the first session
• Page 2: the zone map of a right ear, with the ten anatomical zones numbered and the five master points marked on them
• Page 3: each master point’s location, how to find it by touch, and its common uses, beside a ten-item screening list
• Page 4: an eighteen-row session log, and the aftercare list you tick off and hand to the client
• Page 5: the rebooking and follow-up plan, a notes block, and the practitioner declaration

Page 1 keeps the consent short, because it shares a sheet with the treatment goal. A standalone acupuncture consent form gives you the fuller wording if your insurer asks for more detail.

The template does not replace a full point atlas, a diagnosis, or training in auricular acupuncture. Where your training’s atlas differs from the chart, follow your training.

Name the zone before you look for a point

Reading the chart starts with the zone. Every part of the auricle has a name and a rough body correspondence, so the zone narrows the search. Only then do you look for a single point.

• Helix: the outer rim. It carries the ear apex at the top and the ascending helix at the front
• Scapha: the groove between helix and antihelix. It orients to the upper limb, shoulder low and hand high
• Antihelix: the Y-shaped ridge. It orients to the spine, cervical at the tail and lumbosacral toward the fork
• Triangular fossa: the hollow between the two crura. It orients to the lower limb, and it holds Shen Men
• Cymba concha: the bowl above the helix crus. It orients to the abdominal organs
• Cavum concha: the bowl below the helix crus. It orients to the chest, heart and lung
• Tragus: the flap in front of the ear canal. It orients to the nose, the throat, and the adrenal area
• Antitragus: the bump behind the intertragic notch. It orients to the head, the occiput and the temple
• Intertragic notch: the dip between tragus and antitragus. It holds the endocrine points
• Lobule: the soft lower ear. It orients to the head and face, including the eyes, teeth, jaw and inner ear

The map below carries the same ten zones, with the five master points marked on them. Print it, and you can find both at a glance.

The helix crus is the ridge that crosses the middle of the bowl. It divides the cymba from the cavum, and it carries Point Zero.

Zone correspondences are an orientation aid rather than a diagnosis. They tell you which part of the ear to work in, and your atlas tells you where the point sits inside it. Both ears carry the same map, so always record which ear you treated.

The five master points carry most protocols

These five are the ones worth knowing by touch. Find the zone on the map first, then locate the point inside it using the landmark in the third column.

Names and locations here follow the WFAS standard and the master point set used in Western auriculotherapy. The last column lists what each point is commonly selected for. It is not a claim that a point treats a diagnosis.

How to use an acupuncture chart ear in a session

Six steps take you from the client’s complaint to a logged session. The order matters, because it keeps point selection consistent between practitioners. It also keeps the record readable months later.

1. Record the concern and the goal. Write the client’s chief complaint, and the goal in their own words, on page 1 of the template.
2. Screen before you treat. Work down the ten-item list on page 3. A yes on any line tells you what to do next, and some lines stop the session.
3. Name the zone. Decide which of the ten zones you are working in before you look for a point. That is what the map on page 2 is for.
4. Confirm the landmark by touch. Find the cartilage landmark next to the point with a fingertip, in good light, with the ear held gently forward.
5. Choose the method. Needles, ear seeds, press balls, magnets, or acupressure all suit different settings and different clients.
6. Log the session. Record the ear, the zone, the points, the method, and the response, one row per session on page 4.

The last step is the one that pays off. Record the response in a measure you can repeat, such as a pain score or hours slept. That is what tells you by session four whether the protocol is working. If your practice writes notes in SOAP format, the acupuncture SOAP note takes the same fields into that structure.

Software adds one step you cannot get from paper. Save the note, and the seed change reminder and the follow-up booking go out on their own.

A worked example: one session from start to finish

Take a client who books for sleep trouble. Page 1 records her goal in her own words, “I wake at three and stay awake”. Her medication list and her consent sit on the same sheet.

Screening then turns up one flag. She takes a daily anticoagulant, so needles come off the table and ear seeds go on it.

Point selection runs zone first. Shen Men comes from the triangular fossa, Point Zero from the helix crus, and Endocrine from the intertragic notch. All three get a seed on the right ear.

Page 4 then takes a single row. It names the right ear, the three points, the seed method, and the two hours she slept before waking. She books again for day five, when the seeds come off.

Four mistakes that spoil the record

• Leaving out which ear you treated. Both ears carry the same map, so a note reading “Shen Men, seeds” tells the next practitioner very little.
• Recording a feeling instead of a measure. “Client felt calmer” cannot be compared week to week. Hours slept or a pain score can.
• Hunting for a point before naming the zone. A crowded chart carries a hundred labels, and the search takes twice as long from cold.
• Skipping the screening on a returning client. Medication changes between visits, and an anticoagulant started last month changes your method today.

Ear seeds only work if the aftercare is written down

Ear seeds are small seeds from the vaccaria plant, or metal and crystal alternatives. You place one on an auricular point and hold it with adhesive tape. The client presses them gently a few times a day, which keeps the point stimulated between appointments.

Seeds sit on the client’s ear for days, so the instructions do the work when you are not in the room. Place the first set yourself, so the client learns the technique with you watching.

Then hand over the aftercare in writing. The template’s checklist covers how firmly and how often to press, and when to change the seeds. It also covers what a reacting ear looks like, and when to stop and call the practice. Change the seeds every three to five days, and sooner if the skin reacts.

Seeds are only part of the aftercare conversation. Our acupuncture aftercare guide covers the rest of what a client needs to hear before they leave.

Screen the ear before you choose a point

Screening matters more than point selection on a first visit. The template’s list runs to ten lines, and these are the ones that change what you do today.

• Broken skin, dermatitis, or psoriasis on the ear. Treat the other ear, or postpone
• An ear infection or a discharging ear. Stop, and refer for medical assessment
• A perforated eardrum, recent ear surgery, or a grommet. Get medical clearance first
• A pacemaker, ICD, cochlear implant, or neurostimulator. Leave electrical stimulation out
• Anticoagulants, a bleeding disorder, or easy bruising. Use seeds or press balls rather than needles
• Pregnancy. Follow your training’s pregnancy protocol, and avoid the points it excludes
• A new symptom that needs a diagnosis first. Refer rather than treat

Minor bleeding, brief soreness, and local skin irritation are the common adverse events. Cartilage infection is the serious one, and indwelling needles carry the highest risk of it. Clean the ear first, use single-use sterile needles, and tell the client what a developing infection feels like.

What the evidence says, and who is allowed to treat

Auricular acupuncture has been studied for pain management, anxiety, and addiction treatment support. A Johns Hopkins Nursing feature describes its use in that last setting. The evidence is uneven across conditions, so keep your own claims to what your records show.

Scope of practice is set locally, so check yours before you offer auriculotherapy. In the UK, practitioners work within British Acupuncture Council guidance.

In the US, the National Certification Board for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine sets the certification standards. Your state board issues the license. That board was the NCCAOM until January 2026, so older paperwork still carries the old name. Confirm your insurance covers auricular work, and keep a note of that check.

Five kinds of practice that keep the chart on the wall

The chart earns wall space in five kinds of practice, for slightly different reasons in each.

• Licensed acupuncturists and acupuncture students who want a zone-first reference next to the treatment chair
• Integrative medicine practices combining conventional and traditional therapies in one care plan
• Wellness practitioners and health coaches offering auriculotherapy as a complementary service, within their scope
• Spa and holistic health facilities adding ear acupuncture to a treatment menu
• Pain management practices using ear acupuncture as one part of a multi-modal plan

Why one chart and one record beats two systems

Consistency. Practitioners working from the same chart choose points the same way, and describe them the same way in the notes. A colleague picking up the client can see which zone you worked in and why.

Some practices run acupuncture beside physical therapy or chiropractic. Keeping those notes in one allied health EMR means the client’s file reads as one story.

Client understanding. A printed chart turns an abstract treatment into a picture. Clients who can see the point being treated tend to follow the self-care instructions more closely.

A record that holds up. The screening answers, the points, the method, and the response sit on one form. That is the trail a regulator, an insurer, or a colleague asks to see.

How Pabau keeps auricular records searchable

Plenty of acupuncture practices keep the chart on the treatment room wall and the notes in a paper file. The chart never changes, so that half works fine. Finding out which points you used on a client eight weeks ago is the part that costs an afternoon.

Practice management software like Pabau keeps the two together. The template goes in as a digital intake form. The zone and point fields then sit on screen beside the client’s history and their previous sessions. No one retypes it, and it cannot end up in the wrong paper folder.

AI-assisted clinical notes can draft the session note while you work. The point log then gets written at the time, rather than at the end of the day. Automated reminders chase the seed change date and the review appointment.

The result is a record you can search by client, by point, or by date. Follow-up then happens without anyone chasing it.

Keep the ear chart and the record together

Pabau holds your auricular charts, screening answers, and session logs inside one client record. So you can see which points you used on a client months ago, in seconds.

Book a demo

Conclusion

An ear chart is only half the job. It tells you where a point sits. The record tells you what you did with it, and whether it helped.

So print the template and keep page 2 where you can see it from the chair. Then file pages 4 and 5 after every session. By the fourth session you will have a log worth reading back.

Book a demo to see how Pabau keeps the chart, the session log, and the rebooking inside one client record.

Continue your research

Need the health history before the first needle goes in? The acupuncture intake form collects the medication list, the medical history, and the treatment goal in advance.

Writing your session notes in SOAP format? The acupuncture SOAP note carries the same point and response fields into a subjective, objective, assessment, plan structure.

Need consent wording that stands on its own? The acupuncture consent form sets out the risks, the alternatives, and the signature blocks in full.

Tracking whether the protocol is working? The 1 to 10 pain scale gives you a repeatable number to log beside the points you used.

Frequently asked questions