What is moxibustion?  

Well, moxibustion is the burning of the various moxa products to treat health problems or to do health maintenance. When the moxa products are burnt, they generate heat. This is different from a heating pad or other types of heat, including infrared heat, which can only go superficially to your skin or muscle layer. The unique heat from moxibustion can penetrate deeply, and it has a special moving qi with it. That’s why it’s very effective to treat various health issues.

Functions of Moxibustion Therapy

In China, there is a saying: The yang qi from heaven is called the sun; the yang qi from the Earth is called moxibustion. So, you can imagine the great benefit of moxibustion.

Moxibustion is one integral part of the acupuncture practice. In Chinese, “Zhen Jiu” is comprised of two words: needle and moxibustion. Because of its smoke and smell, it’s a big challenge for a clinic to use. So nowadays, when people talk about acupuncture practice, they normally understand it to be using a fine needle. Actually, moxibustion is a very important part, even more important than the needle in real acupuncture practice. 

While an acupuncture needle is normally used to help smooth the qi flow, moxibustion can do more than that. It can not only unblock the qi, but it can also help tonify your yang qi, which is the driving force and energy source for your whole body to function well.

Methods of Moxibustion

To learn moxibustion, you must know the ways of moxibustion. I will just mention a few that are commonly used in my clinic and by our fans and followers.  

Method 1: Handheld Moxa Stick/Roll

The first one would be to just use a handheld moxa stick or moxa rolls. There are different diameters of moxa rolls. Most used ones are 18mm*200mm and 30mm*200mm. Some people use very big rolls, such as 70–100mm in diameter. A lot of people don’t know what the difference is, and they use them randomly. I want to tell you the general guideline. If it is used to tonify or supplement yang qi, for better health maintenance for elder people or young kids, use 18mm diameter. It is very mild and will gradually tonify. If it is used to disperse coldness or get rid of water retention or dampness quickly, you can use a bigger diameter.

For better results, I normally suggest our moxibustion clients to use a higher concentration moxa stick or rolls, such as 30:1 or 45:1. A bit lower concentration is fine too. As long as it’s 10:1 or above, and made from moxa leaves of 3 years annuity, it should be good.

This method is very simple and can be performed by almost anyone. Just light the long moxa stick/roll and hold it closer to the acupuncture points, and let the special heat penetrate and do the magic work. You can just focus on the acupuncture points or meridians. Check the later chapters for therapeutical selection of points, or check my website for more acupuncture points. The best feeling of moxibustion is the warmth and comfortable sensation (sometimes a bit tight), but not burning. 

One important safety tip to mention: Put a glass jar with a lid, or metal container with a tight cover beside you. You can tap or scrape the moxa ashes into the jar or container periodically as the moxa stick burns. And if you cannot finish the moxa roll at one time, you just put the remaining into the jar or container and put on the lid or cover to seal it tight. The fire on the moxa roll will extinguish itself. Never leave the burnt moxa rolls outside, as the ashes could cause a fire even when you think it has died. 

Also, when only a small piece is left and it’s hard to hold it, you can use a metal stick or simply just use a steel fork or clipper to hold it, and let it continue to burn. Don’t waste it.

Method 2: Moxibustion By Wooden or Bamboo Boxes

The second most common moxibustion method is to use a wood or bamboo moxibustion box. Clinically, I also like to use these tools because they are safer and convenient. I often use 3-hole boxes. Those boxes are normally used on the flat surfaces, such as on your back or on your belly. You just need to insert the short moxa rolls into the special clippers in the boxes, and then just light them at the bottom. Make sure it starts to burn, and put the cover on. Clinically, I normally use a low-density bath towel to cover the boxes. This came out of my own experience. First, it can help reduce the smoke or the smell. Second, I’m a person who emphasizes the energy a lot.  The big towel can help your body retain more energy or yang chi. Third, this can help keep you warm, especially in colder weather like wintertime. These are very convenient to use. The only drawback for this is that they are best used on a flat area but are not so convenient for the leg or arm areas.

Method 3: Moxibustion By Sticker

The third moxibustion method is called moxa sticker. There are many types of moxa stickers on the market. Some are made of good quality, but some may not be. Here I just want to recommend one top quality moxa sticker that we use at our clinic. It’s called Tian Tian Ai sticker. They are made of the top-quality moxa leaves from the very famous location called Qi Chun County in Hubei province. Because of the rareness of these moxa leaves, they are comparatively more expensive. In addition, there is unique safety consideration while designing the base, as well as selecting the special sticking material. So the price is a little bit higher than usual. But I like a safe and high-quality product, so we normally use them in our clinic.

Method 4: Moxibustion Using a Portable Jar and Cover

If you find the smoke and smell too strong, you can use this method. It’s simple to use. You just need to put a short moxa roll onto the pin inside the copper or steel jar, put the lid on, slide it into the fabric cover and zip it. In this way, the smell and the smoke won’t come out. And you can carry this all around, inside the house or outside. Once you don’t feel the heat, you can open and replace the moxa roll and repeat.

Method 5：Moxibustion on Top of Ginger

This is a very traditional way. We normally cut the fresh ginger into 3–5mm thick slices, and punch several holes with toothpicks. Then we put on the acupuncture points and put some loose moxa on top of it, and then light the loose moxa. The heat, with the help of the ginger, will penetrate faster into your body. Due to operational safety consideration, I only use this on CV8-Shen Que, or the belly button.  For this method, you have to use high quality, loose golden moxa. 

Method 6：Moxibustion on Needle

Clinically, we also use moxibustion on top of the acupuncture needle. But this is only done by professional practitioners and not recommended for common home use.

Method 7: Moxibustion on Skin Directly

This is used in situations such as warts, which I will mention more in the chapter below. Also, in ancient China, this method is used on Zusanli-ST36 point to trigger the immune reaction of your body. Normally, this is done under professional guidance. So, I don’t really suggest you do this at home unless you know how. And this method is used to treat certain problems, which I will demonstrate on my website or through videos.

There are several other types of moxibustion methods. These are the most common ones

Article from excerpt of “Miracles of Moxibustion” by Ruth Liu