Moxibustion, the fire of acupuncture

The smell of burning grass is common in China. It comes from the moxas, whose importance is such that the acupuncture concept should be translated as “needle and fire”. Moxa is the millennial travel companion of acupuncture needles.

The moxa is produced from the mugwort leaf (artemisia vulgaris), highly valued for its properties both in the West and in the East. For use in acupuncture, you have to dry the leaves perfectly and then break them into small filaments or crush them. What remains is the “moxa wool”.

When burned, its enormous caloric capacity becomes active and releases its prized essential oils.

Types, uses and benefits of moxa

There are basically two ways to work with moxa: the moxa wool previously described – which is loose and in the shape of a “cigar” or cones – and the smokeless moxawhich is mugwort charcoal plus some resin to maintain its consistency.

The smoke released by burning moxa wool, which has beneficial effects, clashes with the reality of Western aseptic consultations. For this reason it became moxa charcoal, which almost does not release smoke. Subtlety has been lost in the change.

It can no longer be handled by making little piles on the skin, since charcoal is rigid in its presentations. Although, apart from this detail, it seems that its benefits have not diminished.

The Chinese traditional medicine (MTC) gives many uses to moxa and here we will see the essential ones. The first thing is to ask ourselves in which area we are going to act. We can affect the superficial layers of the body or more deeply.

If we use the “pure”, we work on the skin and it allows us intervene in a wide area. An example is heating an area of ​​the lower back to improve limiting pain. We bring it closer to the epidermis depending on the sensation of heat we receive.

That’s why, self-apply moxa pure is very good. We are the ones who feel if it heats up a lot or a little. If it burns us, we move it away very slightly. Then there are different techniques: zoom in and out on a single point, keep the cigar always moving…

If we want to penetrate the internal energy channels of the organism, we use the heated needle. The therapist places a cone of smokeless moxa, a piece of grass cigar, or a ball of pressed moxa wool over the acupuncture needles.

It is convenient to place on the skin some kind of protection, because a burning blade of moxa can come off. The recipient may not notice the heat or only in a mild way.

We can apply it too putting something on the skin, and on top little piles of moxa or a cone. Salt is also used to fill the navel and heat the moxa on top. Or we place the moxa on thin slices of ginger or garlic and, to the heat that it gives off, we add the properties of these plants.

Keep the organism more awake

The moxa heats up. The feeling is nice appeases the inconvenience, the sores. The heat of the moxa, even though it is mild, penetrates the energy channels or meridians. It will be there where you can perform your functions.

The first thing is to eliminate its opposite, the cold. Yeah heat is movement, cold is stagnation. An example is low back pain, both acute and chronic. With a moxa cigar we heat the skin. Little by little it penetrates to reach the contracted muscles, which stretches.

a state of chronic low back pain It is accompanied, many times, by a feeling of internal cold that doesn’t even disappear completely. You have to take it out, move it, and that is why moxa applied with needles is very useful in these chronic cases.

Preventive effects are also recognized for moxa, since its continued use promotes the energetic functions of the different organs. if we get feed the chi(the vital flow, according to TCM) with the use of moxa, our entire body will work better.

We can also use moxa in discomfort related to menstruation. In the end, it is a process of expulsion of blood and tissues. If the body does not have enough strength to eliminate them, moxa can be of great help, giving the push we need.

Another of the many applications of moxa is when we have pasty stools or chronic diarrhea and we lose water and energy and enter a vicious circle. In this case, we can place the grass cones on a mound of salt. We will remove them when it heats the skin excessively.

The best use is the possibility of keep the body awake, on the move and warm when the weather is cold and wet. The moxa allows live with less pain and more active.

A box of moxas to use at home

You can moxa use at home, with great caution to avoid burns (do not touch your skin). When you’re done, make sure it’s completely off, which requires 15-20 minutes in the moxa cones or chunks.

In winter it is essential use it (because of the cold); in autumn and spring it is highly recommended.

It is highly recommended for adult people, whose internal heat decreases over the years (in fact, for this reason it is not recommended for hot or anxious people). Other indications are low back painif there is a tendency to swell the ankles and legs or if you feel an accentuated tiredness as the day goes by.

To do it at home you need a moxa box, with its sliding lid and metal mesh. The lid allows you to regulate the heat; You open it more or less according to the body requests. Then there are the moxas, which can be smokeless cones or pieces of a mugwort cigar.

For use the moxa, it is most convenient to place it on the lower back (it is better to have someone help you). You light the moxa, place it in the box and regulate the opening. You lie face down and place the box directly on the skin. The heat must be pleasant; if not, it is because you have put too many cones or your body does not need it.