Moxibustion
Moxibustion is the burning of herbs to give a particular medical effect. The Herb that we burn is mugwort or àicǎo on Chinese. This herb is considered pure yang energy and therefore is very good at moving qi and blood. it can be applied in a number of methods. Moxa cigar is the most common way with the mugwort rolled in to a cigar shape and them burned over an injured area to promote recovery. Moxibustion can also be applied directly to the skin for a body tonification in cases of people with deficiency syndromes or cold syndromes. Today is is not widely used due to smoke it puts out when burned however smokeless moxa is available. In China older people use this therapy to help the body stay strong, ward off cold in the winter and relieve pain. Moxibustion is a fantastic therapy with a rich and long heritage in China.
There area some fantastic research being done on this wonderful herb. Check out this Podcast from Qilogical here from Alice Douglas
and from Moxafrica.org here with Merlin Young
