Moxibustion is a traditional Chinese medicine technique that involves the burning of mugwort, a small, spongy herb, to facilitate healing. Moxibustion has been used throughout Asia for thousands of years. The purpose of moxibustion is to strengthen the blood, stimulate the flow of qi, warm and tonify the body, and maintain general health. Moxibustion is used to treat cold or stagnant conditions. The burning of moxa is believed to expel cold and warm the meridians, which leads to smoother flow of blood and qi.
There are two types of moxibustion: direct and indirect. In direct moxibustion, a small, cone-shaped amount of moxa is placed on top of an acupuncture point and burned. The moxa is lit, allowing it to smolder and warm the skin, but it is extinguished or removed before it burns the skin. The patient will experience a pleasant heating sensation that penetrates deep into the skin, but should not experience any pain, blistering or scarring unless the moxa is left in place for too long.
With indirect moxibustion a practitioner lights one end of a moxa “stick”, which looks a little like a cigar, and gently waves it over the affected area until the area feels warm and turns slightly red. Once again, the experience is very soothing and relaxing for the patient.
Moxa is contraindicated for anyone diagnosed with too much heat. Direct moxa also produces a great deal of smoke and a pungent odor. Patients with respiratory problems may request that their practitioner use smokeless moxa sticks as an alternative.
[Note: At Wellbeing, we only use indirect moxa sticks because our facility lacks the required ventilation for direct moxa.]