11 Moxibustion Moxa therapy or moxibustion is a form of treatment in TCM. Like acupuncture, it treats the points of the body. The two treatment methods are often applied simultaneously, which is why the term zhen jiu, “needling and burning,” is common in China. The Western term moxibustion is derived from the Japanese word mogusa, which also means something like “burning.” The herb moxa is used for burning; it is the foliage of wormwood, Artemisiae argyi folium (ai ye). This herb contains essential oils, including cineol and thuja oil, as well as choline, resins, and tannin, the vitamins A, B, C, and D, potassium chloride, iron, and magnesium. These active ingredients are released during burning, and heat is generated. From the TCM perspective, moxa therapy—when applied in certain locations—can set processes in motion and expel states of cold in particular. In fact, disease prevention plays an eminent role in moxa therapy. There is an expression that you should not go on a far trip without first having stimulated the qi with moxa. A moxa cigar is a piece of rolled-up moxa medicinal, ca. 20 cm long and wrapped in thin paper that also burns off during moxibustion. The length and thickness roughly correspond to those of a large Havana cigar. The end is lit and the glowing part is held over the appropriate area. In an indirect procedure, you can also cut off a piece of cigar and stick it on an acupuncture needle (fire needle, Fig. 11.1). Moxa cigars are an excellent tool in fertility treatment, especially since patients can also take them home to use (Figs. 11.2). Fig. 11.1 Treatment with the fire needle—indirect moxa technique. Fig. 11.2 Treatment with the moxa cigar on the foot. In this technique, moxa wool is shaped into small cones that are placed directly on the skin or on a medium (salt, a slice of ginger, garlic). Also available are industrially pre-manufactured moxa cones with a sticky bottom, which are placed directly on the skin. Because this procedure requires some skill, it is better to apply moxa cones in the clinic or hospital than at home. Moxa rice grains are also shaped by hand from moxa wool. After burning off, they must be quickly removed from the skin with tweezers. The moxa box is a small wooden box with a grate and a vent, in which you burn the moxa (Figs. 11.3). A moxa stove usually has a small handle by which you hold it over the treatment area (Figs. 11.4). Fig. 11.3 Moxa box Fig. 11.4 A moxa stove in the treatment of the kidney area. Moxa plasters are plasters with moxa that you stick on the skin. A newer product is small packages (“herbal heatpack”) that are attached with an adhesive bandage and contain iron filings in addition to the moxa. The iron oxidizes when the package is opened. This generates heat, and the moxa can unfold its effect. The main areas of application cover numerous symptoms, including: Moxibustion is particularly suited for use in the treatment of yang vacuity states with cold symptoms. Nevertheless, we can also successfully supplement yin vacuity patterns. Particularly worth mentioning is its use in disturbances in the hormonal area: In the application of the “eight treatment principles,” the most commonly used methods are xie fa (dispersal/draining) and bu fa (supplementation/concentration). These two main methods can be applied in moxibustion as well. With regard to fertility treatment, we fall back on the method of bu fa by means of moxibustion and use wen fa (warming) as an additional method (see Table 9.1, p. 105). Xie fa and bu fa differ in the strength of stimulation. While we use a strong stimulation in xie fa, bu fa consists of a gentle stimulation. The indication for bu fa, the supplementing technique, is a state of insufficiency or vacuity. This application should always include a clear intention of filling and stimulating. Indications for wen fa, the warming technique, are cold disorders and patterns of yang vacuity. Moxibustion should have the effect of gradual warming or stimulating. Criteria for evaluating the successful effect of the technique are the patient’s reactions: The key factor in the application of this method is to have sufficient time at your disposal. Generally speaking, moxibustion is not a short therapy. Nevertheless, a daily treatment time of 10–20 minutes should be sufficient. If you add further points, the duration can, however, certainly increase to 30–45 minutes. Easiest in application is moxibustion with the cigar, whether in clinic or at home. The use of moxa cones is somewhat more complicated, but on the other hand extremely effective when applied directly. The moxa box is also very good for its dispersing effect, but has the disadvantage of making the room very smoky. The moxa stove is slightly less smoky; you must be careful, however, not to burn yourself on the metal body. Necessary supplies for working with moxa cigars are: For application at home, it is very important to extinguish the cigar completely to avoid fire damage. Moxa cigars cannot be stubbed out like tobacco cigars; instead, the embers must be smothered. The glowing end must be placed in a container filled with sand or uncooked rice if no moxa extinguisher is available. Because the effect of moxa is strongly warming and yang-stimulating, states of yang vacuity constitute the main indication for moxibustion. Nevertheless, it is also possible to use moxa to supplement yin or blood. Patterns in fertility treatment that can be treated with moxa are: Supplement kidney yang and warm yang. In former times, practitioners treated this condition with aconite moxibustion. They ground aconite into a fine powder, mixed it with a little alcohol, and shaped it into a base on which they burned moxa cones; especially effective in impotence and premature seminal emission. Aconite, however, is toxic and no longer available in pharmacies. Instead, you can use ginger, for example.
Annette Jonas
General Effect
Forms of Moxibustion
Moxa Cigar
Moxa Cone
Moxa Rice Grains
Moxa Box
Moxa Stove
Moxa Plasters
Range of Applications for Moxibustion
Treatment Principles of Moxibustion
The Use of Moxibustion in Fertility Treatment
Kidney Yang Vacuity (“Weakness of the Lumbus”) in Men and Women
Symptoms
Treatment Principle
Point Selection
Medium
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