What is Moxa?
Moxibustion (affectionately known as Moxa) is a traditional Chinese medicine technique that involves burning an herb, dried mugwort (Artemisia Vulgaris in botanical name and Ai Ye in Chinese), near or on the skin. The heat generated from the burning herb is used to stimulate acupuncture points and channels in order to have a warming and therapeutic effect on the body, promoting qi and blood flow and restoring balance and healing in the body. Moxibustion is often used in conjunction with acupuncture to treat various health conditions including pain, digestive issues, respiratory problems, menstrual irregularities and breech babies. A lesser known use for moxa is to help stop itching (as in it can help stop you from scratching those pesky mosquito bites!)
Moxa before drying and spinning
Moxa can come in various forms like pole moxa, loose moxa cones or rice grain, and needle moxa. Moxa is a warming process that most patients find very soothing and can be used to decrease pain and inflammation. This therapy is very effective as a supplement to an acupuncture session or a standalone treatment and relatively gentle for needle-shy patients.
An example of needle top moxa (loose moxa on top of a needle to heat a specific acupuncture point)
As a licensed Acupuncturist and East Asian Medical provider I use Moxa most often for patients with arthritis, digestive issues, menstrual irregularities, fertility struggles or for breech babies. I will usually send patients home with instructions and pictures of acupuncture points to focus the moxa therapy on, as doing a daily at-home moxa treatment can be very helpful in improving circulation and warming a chronically cold area of the body. This therapeutic modality can often help regulate menstrual cycles by dispersing cold in womb or lower body or help moderate pain in joints that have cold lodged into the joints. Moxa is also a safe and gentle way to help treat breech babies and encourage them to turn.
