All About Moxibustion
What Is Moxibustion?
Moxibustion is a treatment method that involves the burning of prepared mugwort on or close to acupuncture channels and points on areas of the body commonly used in East Asian Medicine (EAM). This practice can be traced back to over 2500 years in China. Some of the known conditions it can treat are: osteoarthritis, facial paralysis, frozen shoulder, weakness and fatigue, poor appetite, menstrual cycle and fertility conditions and soft tissue injuries.
Moxibustion (or moxa) is a heat therapy which has been proven to affect the shallow and deep tissues of the skin, increase blood flow and circulation. The burning of moxibustion also gives off far infrared and near infrared waves. Infrared radiation is known to speed up the healing process in muscles and tissues. Studies have also shown that the moxa and the residue left behind after it burns, clears free radicals and lipid peroxidation while also disinfecting the air. Moxa’s antiviral and antifungal properties also make it useful in treatment of urogenital conditions.
Properties of Mugwort
In EAM Mugwort is known to warm the channels, tissues of the body as well as the uterus. It acts by dispersing cold that is blocking qi or blood flow. It can help with itching due to its antiviral and anti fungal properties and aid with abnormal uterine bleeding. Mugwort goes to the liver, kidney, spleen and lung meridians. Mugwort is used internally and topically.
Some of the different ways mugwort is used in EAM is as a bath or wash, included in internal herbal decoctions, as a tea, worn or carried in a satchel and as moxibustion. Moxibustion can be administered on the body directly by placing the wool moxa on the skin and burning it or indirectly —held close to the body or on top of acupuncture needles.
Can I Use Moxa At Home?
Moxa can be administered in various ways. It is most commonly prepared in sticks or cigars, loose wool which are formed into cones of various sizes, or small tubes placed on sticky cardboard. For at home use, it is important to consult your acupuncture provider on a self treatment protocol, how to use it properly and safely. Some of the common reasons I send patients home with moxa is for spotting between periods or menstrual cycles that are shorter than 28 days, period cramps, arthritis, knee injuries and plantar fasciitis. If you have a specific concern and would like to learn more about how you use moxa at home please schedule a virtual consultation with me.
*Moxibustion therapy is not suitable for those with a mugwort allergy or sensitivity to smoke.
By Dr. Emily Grace Siy, DACM, LAc on January 25, 2022 I Photos by Chanel Govreau
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