Moxibustion

Moxibustion is the therapy of applying heat to the body by burning the herb mugwort (Ai Ye or moxa) in the form of a cone or stick. Burning moxa warms up yang, dispels cold, eliminates dampness, reopens the meridians, invigorates qi and blood, and harmonizes zangfu-organs. In the direct method, the moxa is placed on the skin and indirect method the moxa doesn’t touch the skin. The indirect method is more common, and may include the use of on garlic, ginger, salt, fermented bean cakes, aconite cakes, and pepper cakes, etc. 

Moxibustion is often used with acupuncture and herbs. For centuries moxibustion and acupuncture have been combined, thus they are termed “zhen jiu” (acupuncture and moxibustion) in Chinese. Putting burning moxa on needles, which are inserted into points, is called “warming needling” in clinical practice. Herbal moxa poll is made of fine herbal powders and moxa wool. The indirect method puts herbs on acupuncture points, then burn moxa on the herbs.