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Moxibustion
Moxibustion is a form of heat therapy and a technique used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that involves the burning of mugwort (a plant related to sage) to promote healing.
Moxa is used in TCM to expel cold and warm the meridians. It has a wonderfully pleasant heat that the body holds onto well. Warming the meridians allows for a smooth flow of blood and qi – which means it can be useful for numerous conditions.
There are two main types of moxibustion; direct and indirect.
Direct moxibustion involves the placement of a small cone of pure moxa being placed on top on an acupuncture point and burned, but is extinguished before it burns the skin. This type of moxibustion is common in Japanese style acupuncture.
Indirect moxibustion involves the burning of moxa, but without direct placement on the skin.Commonly ‘stick moxa’ is used – here moxa is rolled in to a cigar-shaped stick and one end is lit. The lit stick moxa is help over the area being treated and the patient should feel a pleasant warming sensation. Stick moxa can use regular moxa or a smokeless variant.
Another type of indirect moxibustion involves placing moxa on the end of an inserted needle, thereby generating heat into the point.
To learn more about how moxa works scientifically, please read this article in Acupuncture Today.