What is Moxibustion?
Moxibustion — derived from ‘moxa’, the Japanese term for a plant called mugwort and ‘bustion’, which means burning— is a form of heat therapy applied to the body. Moxibustion is a therapeutic practice that involves the burning of a specially prepared form of dried herb known as moxa (artemisia argyi) to produce a warming and stimulating effect on specific meridian points. In Japan, moxibustion is known as ‘okyu’ and has been an essential component of traditional Japanese medicine for centuries. It also has recorded uses in other ancient cultures, including Korea, Mongolia, and Tibet and has origins dating back more than 2000 years ago (or longer). Some of the first written records of moxibustion date back to the Huangdi Neijing, one of the oldest and most influential texts in Chinese medicine.
While many people are familiar with the idea of acupuncture, in fact, treatments involving needles are just one kind of therapy within the vast discipline of East Asian medicine. Perhaps it’s worth sharing that East Asian medicine is a comprehensive medical discipline that includes acupuncture, herbalism, dietetics, many forms of bodywork, seasonal lifestyle recommendations, and warming therapy called moxibustion.
How is Moxa Used? A Natural & Holistic Treatment to Treat Fatigue & Improve Energy
Moxa does something uniquely generative for the body’s energy system that other therapies just cannot do. There is something very special about this plant. Its qualities support inner warmth, energetic revival, and is a perfect match for human beings. There are many accounts of moxa stimulating the quality of interconnectivity in the body: helping the body consciousness to reconnect with itself and encourage restoration of feeling where there has been weakness, strength where there has been weakness, and warmth where there has been cold. Some people describe moxa as receiving the potentiating warmth of sunshine directly into the meridians.
Moxibustion can be used for a wide variety of health conditions and is often employed to enhance the flow of qi in the body and provide additional energy to the meridians and points it is applied to.
Ways Moxa Is Used in a Treatment: Types of Moxibustion
If you regularly receive acupuncture, you may become familiar with several different methods of moxibustion, each with its own unique approach and benefits:
Moxibustion Applied Directly to the Body (Direct Moxibustion): In this method, a small cone or cylinder of moxa is placed directly on the skin at specific acupoints. The moxa is then carefully ignited and allowed to burn slowly, producing a therapeutic heat that penetrates into the body. Much care and training goes into preventing too much warmth or heat from coming into contact with the skin so that this process is safe and comfortable. (Often the skin is protected with a salve that allows the warmth to be transmitted but protects the skin from burning.)
Moxibustion Near the Body (Indirect Moxibustion): In this technique, moxa is either shaped into a cone or rolled into a stick and then as it is burned, it is placed near the skin without direct contact. Your practitioner may hold the moxa stick close to the acupoint or use a barrier substance like ginger or salt to protect the skin from burns. As the moxa stick smolders, the heat and the energy from the moxa reaches the skin and stimulates the acupoint.
Acupuncture together with Moxibustion (Needle Moxibustion): In this method, a moxa cone or ball is attached to the end of an acupuncture needle. After the needle is inserted into the acupoint, the moxa is burned, allowing the heat to travel down the needle and into the body.
But How Does Moxa Work? Heat-Activated Transient Receptors
For those that need a scient-oriented explanation, consider that there are specific and very sensitive neural receptors just beneath the skin called heat-activated transient receptors that have specific balancing effects on the immune system. Interestingly, these heat receptors that are in the upper levels of the skin are best activated with warm (but not hot) gentle temperatures (38-41 degrees Celcius). Often the idea that gentle and comfortable treatments can be effective defies conditioned beliefs that tend to rely on heroic or ‘more is more’ approaches, however the body’s nervous, immune, and pain receptors are set up to respond favorable to prolonged comfortable and balancing techniques.
What Are the Health Benefits of Moxibustion Therapy?
Moxibustion is often incorporated into a treatment when symptoms are due to an overall lack of energy or deficiency. So for people who experience more health issues when they feel depleted or fatigued and have difficulty rebuilding their stamina, moxa is a great therapeutic tool.
Emotional Support + Healing: The meridians are capable of communicating physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual symptoms all at once; contrary to our cerebral approaches to health and our bodies, the intelligence of the meridian system is able to hold and express all of these different kinds of expression in a holistic and coherent way. Treating deficient meridians on the physical body can also support greater resiliency and strength in the emotional body. For example there are specific points we can tonify using moxa to help soothe heartbreak, work through grief, calm and soothe anxiety, bolster self-confidence, and quell anger issues.
Immune System Support: Moxibustion strengthens the wei qi (protective qi around the body), or immune system. By stimulating specific acupoints, it can help boost overall vitality and resilience and also support recovery from illness. Moxibustion can be used to address respiratory issues such as asthma, bronchitis, and allergies. By stimulating acupoints on the chest and back, it can improve lung function and relieve symptoms.
Digestive Health: Moxibustion can help strengthen weak digestion and symptoms like low appetite, indigestion, diarrhea, and constipation. It promotes better digestion and regulates gastrointestinal function. Many people who are healing chronic digestive issues such as IBS, SIBO, IBD, bloating, and/or healing from disordered eating may have a limit on the additional therapies they are able to add orally to their treatment protocols. In these cases, moxibustion can be a wonderfully supportive therapy to rebuild the health of the digestive system.
Pain Relief & Stress Reduction: Often the experience of receiving moxibustion is quite calming, relaxing, and can even be a bit sedating. In some types of body pain, the body tissues tense up due to a lack of energy, and the chronic pain or tension is related to the body trying to resist an underlying fatigue. Moxibustion can help relieve this type of chronic tightening and can have a calming and stress-reducing effect on the nervous system, promoting a sense of well-being and tranquility.
Hormone Balancing, PMS, Menopausal Fatigue: Women experiencing menstrual irregularities, such as painful periods or irregular cycles, may find relief through moxibustion. The moxa can be applied to points on the lower legs associated with the womb and other points that encourage overall energetic tone of the body. In these ways, moxa can help support hormonal balance and alleviate symptoms associated with PMS or menopause.
Pregnancy & Breech Presentation: Perhaps one of the most well-known situations in which moxa is used is to encourage a breech baby to turn to a head-down position in late third trimester pregnancies, reducing the need for a cesarean section. Moxa is a wonderful tool to use in pregnancy and post-partum recovery.
As you can tell, moxibustion is a time-honored healing therapy and offers a wide range of therapeutic benefits.
If you're interested in receiving moxibustion as part of your overall care, start by working with with a knowledgeable practitioner who can tailor the treatment to your specific needs. The sensation of receiving this treatment can teach you a lot about how it can support your wellbeing and how you might incorporate it into a consistent practice.