Moxibustion (moxa) is a warming technique involving burning the dried mugwort herb, Artemesia vulgaris (called Ai Ye in Chinese pinyin). It can be used directly on the skin with the use of a protective salve (rice grain moxa), on the end of a needle (warming needle), or as pole moxa to warm larger areas of the body by moving the moxa pole over but not on the affected/intended area of skin. This educational article focuses on at-home use of stick-on moxa and moxa poles.
Moxa is pure yang energy. Think of yin as potential energy - inert substances that have potential to move: muscles, bones organs, blood, and fluids. Yang is the action-oriented kinetic force that allows physiological motion. It revives, moves, lifts, and holds. It can treat a variety of conditions, including any pain conditions caused by cold or inflammation, and any conditions related to yang deficiency ~ a lack of metabolic energy required for physiological processes.
If you are practicing moxa at home, please use the following guidelines for safe and effective treatment.
Stick-on Moxa
Tools needed:
stick-on moxa (i recommend Chosei-kyu brand)
lighter
tweezers
ash tray
Stick-on moxa is easy to use, especially if you prepare your space ahead of time. Make sure you have the tools you need (moxa sticks, lighter, tweezers, and an ash tray) and place them on a stable, easy-to-reach surface.
Stick-on moxa comes pressed into a small cylinder that is secured to a stick-on base. Talk with your provider about points or channels that would be best for you. Once you know the points, channels, or areas of the body where you want to apply moxa, simply feel for those areas with your thumb.
Then remove the moxa sticks from their packaging. They will either be loose in the box with other moxa sticks or secured to a cardboard base of hexagonal cut-outs. Gently remove the moxa stick with its hexagonal base, peel the adhesive from the bottom of the hexagon, and stick onto your skin. Carefully light the top of the moxa stick with a lighter and allow it to burn; smoke will swirl out of the base. When it feels hot, remove with a pair of tweezers and place into an ashtray. Repeat 3-5x on each point.
Pole Moxa
Tools needed:
moxa pole
lighter or small handheld torch
glass jar with salt
small ceramic or metal dish or moxa stick holder/extinguisher
Pole moxa is also easy to use, but requires more tools. Prepare your space ahead of time. Place a covered jar with salt on a stable surface within reach, along with your moxa pole, a lighter or small torch, and a ceramic or metal dish or moxa stick holder/extinguisher. Torches provide stronger heat and will light your moxa pole faster, but a regular lighter will also work; it will just take a few more minutes to heat up. Unwrap your moxa stick and light one end. Once the end of the moxa pole starts to glow red, it is hot enough and will continue to heat up throughout treatment. The ceramic/metal bowl or moxa extinguisher is used to scrap ash off the end of your moxa stick during treatment. Do this throughout treatment whenever you notice that the pole is no longer glowing red. Scraping the ash has two functions: 1) it prevents hot ash from falling on your skin, and 2) it allows more of the heat to reach your body. Please take precautions, as moxa poles get extremely hot.
Once your moxa pole is lit, hold your opposite hand close to your skin along the area you plan to apply to the moxa. Hold the stick a few inches away from your skin, until you can feel the heat with your opposite hand. Using your hands this way acts as a gauge for you to protect more sensitive skin and know if it’s ok to move closer with the heat. **Do Not Touch The Moxa Stick Directly to Your Skin!** Once you have determined an appropriate distance from your skin (usually 2 inches to 0.5 inches away), you can move the stick in several ways. 1) Sparrow-pecking: Using thumb and pointer finger, dip the moxa pole towards and away from one point on the skin in a steady, rhythmic pattern. 2) Sweep the moxa up and down part of your body (such as the Spleen channel on the inner leg), or in a clockwise direction around the abdomen. There are other methods for using pole moxa, but we will just discuss those two here. Do this for 3-5 minutes or more covering each area of your body recommended by your practitioner. Remember to scrape the moxa pole periodically to prevent ash from contacting your skin. When you are done, either stick the pole into your extinguisher to cool and then place the hot end into the salt in your glass jar, or stick the pole directly into the glass jar of salt. Cover the jar and store the moxa pole this way. The salt will absorb the heat and the jar acts as a storage container until the next time you are ready to use moxa. During a course of moxa treatment, it is recommended to apply moxa daily.
As with all at-home treatments, please do so under the guidance of a licensed practitioner.
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