What is Moxibustion ?
Moxibustion is a traditional Chinese medicine therapy which consists of burning dried mugwort (moxa) on specific points on the body. Moxibustion and acupuncture together called ZhenJiu in Chinese. It has been used in China and other Asian countries for a long time. Practitioners usually store the mugwort for many years and grind it up to a fluff; they burn the fluff or process it further into a cigar-shaped stick. They can use it indirectly, with acupuncture needles, or burn it on the patient's skin directly
.There are several methods of moxibustion, including direct scarring, direct non-scarring, and indirect moxibustion. Direct scarring moxibustion places a small cone of moxa on the skin at an acupuncture point and burns it until the skin blisters, which then scars after it heals. Direct non-scarring moxibustion removes the burning moxa before the skin burns enough to scar, unless the burning moxa is left on the skin too long. Indirect moxibustion holds a cigar made of moxa near the acupuncture point to heat the skin, or holds it on an acupuncture needle inserted in the skin to heat the needle. Some other indirect ways are burn the moxa on a piece of ginger or salt or some other type of material made from herbs which separate the skin from the burning moxa.
Then effects of Moxibustion include warming up the regions and meridian points then stimulating circulation through the points and inducing a smoother flow of blood and qi. It can treat conditions associated with the "cold" or "yang deficiencies" in Chinese Medicine. Moxibustion mitigates against cold and dampness in the body. It is very good for chronic conditions.