Moxibustion

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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, as with most forms of traditional Chinese medicine, is to strengthen the blood, stimulate the flow of qi, and maintain general health.  

Some references place the practice of Moxibustion as far back as the 16th century BCE, during the Shang Dynasty. This is the same period credited with the development of a lunar calendar, convex mirror, and basic calculation. There are, however, no official records of moxibustion, although it is believed to have occurred during this period because, by the end of this dynasty, there are records of it being used.   By the time a written discussion of standardized moxibustion application had begun, it had already spread to other nations. Unofficial records track the practice to Japanese texts dating from around 400 BCE.  Recent discoveries have found texts mentioning the practice in Japan dated from 168 BCE

In traditional Chinese medicine, moxibustion is used on people who have a cold or stagnant condition. The burning of moxa is believed to expel cold and warm the meridians, which leads to smoother flow of blood and qi. In Western medicine, moxibustion has successfully been used to turn breech babies into a normal head-down position prior to childbirth. 

• Common cold and respiratory disorders, such as hay fever and seasonal allergies
• Immune system support
• Pregnancy support, including turning breech baby during pregnancy
• Gastrointestinal disease, such as peptic ulcers, Irritable Bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, Chronic Diarrhoea and Ulcerative colitis
• Pain management due to osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, meniscal tears, or any injuries that are not easily healing
• Blood clotting disorders and other cardiovascular dysfunctions
• Inflammatory disorders and neuralgia that may disrupt normal circulatory flow

Moxibustion is a technique used in traditional Chinese medicine. 'Moxa' comes in three distinct forms, loose in original herb type form (called wool or punk), shaped and formed into a cigar shaped stick or a preformed compacted ready to use cone (which normally has a sticky pad on the end to stick to the skin) The cone is placed on an acupuncture point and burned. The cones are removed before burning the skin. The moxa cigars are hand held and the therapist holds them in place over specific acupressure points. Specialist holders can be used so moxa can be placed directly onto an acupuncture needle, allowing the warmth to penetrate deep into tissue. The purpose is to stimulate and strengthen the blood and the life energy, or qi, of the body.  

• Does it hurt?
• No, there is no pain involved apart from the heat of the moxa. This is removed before burning the skin
• Is there a risk of burning?
• As with anything that involves fire and burning there is a small risk. The therapist will not leave the patient unattended whilst moxibustion treatment is taking place
• What about scarring?
• There maybe a small indentation where the moxa has burnt, this normally goes after an hour or two
• What if I don't like the smoke or smell?
• Smokeless versions are available, the smell can be a bit of a like it hate it smell, some varieties we use have less smell than others.