Moxibustion, also called moxa therapy or moxing for short, is a special variant of acupuncture and belongs to Traditional Chinese Medicine, TCM. Unlike classical acupuncture, moxing does not always use needles. The basis of moxa therapy is the heating of specific acupuncture points by burning finely ground mugwort herb.
What is moxibustion?
Moxibustion involves stimulating acupuncture points with heat. Tiny amounts of dried mugwort fibers, called moxa, are burned directly on or over specific skin points. Moxibustion involves stimulating acupuncture points with heat. Tiny amounts of dried mugwort fibers, referred to as moxa, are burned directly on or over specific skin points. These skin points that are treated are located on energy pathways called meridians and correspond broadly to those of acupuncture points. These are distributed throughout the body. Qi, the body’s energy, flows in the pathways. Stimulation by heating the points is intended to release energy blockages and thus get the energy flowing again. Mugwort, used as a moxa herb, has been considered an effective medicinal plant for thousands of years, penetrating deep into the body when heated. The main components of mugwort include essential oils such as camphor and thujone, the sesquiterpene lactones vulgarin and pilostachyin, the flavonoids quercetin and rutin, the hydroxycoumarins umbelliferin and aesculetin. Polyynes, triterpenes and carotenoids are also components of the medicinal herb. The leaves of the medicinal plant are collected and dried in spring and then processed into a fine absorbent cotton. To achieve an even glowing over the acupuncture points, a uniform, fine consistency of the fibers is required. In traditional Chinese medicine, moxibustion is considered an equivalent procedure to acupuncture. In Europe, this treatment method became known as early as the second half of the 17th century, but did not really gain a foothold until the 20th century.
Function, effect and goals
There are several variations of moxibustion, which is first divided into direct and indirect moxa therapy. In direct moxibustion, a small moxa cone is lit directly on the skin. This method can be painful, so it is used in Germany only very rarely, but in China and Japan it is still widely used. In indirect moxibustion, the herb is burned without direct contact with the skin. Instead, the therapist places a fresh ginger or garlic slice on the acupuncture point. Salt, paper, healing clay or tofu are also suitable as a base. According to TCM teachings, this is to achieve different effects. The moxa cone is lit on the base and then slowly glows. Instead of a cone, a rod about 20 centimeters long is often used. It consists of rolled mugwort herb wrapped in thin paper. With the lit stick, also called a moxa cigar, the therapist approaches to within about half a centimeter of the selected acupuncture point. If the patient feels a distinct sensation of heat, the glowing tip is briefly removed or moved to another point. The procedure is repeated until the skin at the acupuncture point is clearly reddened. A third variation of moxa therapy is moxibustion with needles. Here the needle is placed on the selected acupuncture point. Moxa is attached to the other end of the needle and lit. The needle transmits the heat to the acupuncture point. The goal of each moxibustion is to release energy blockages to alleviate health problems. The application of heat is said to dissolve cold and dampness from the meridians, and promote circulation in the energy pathways. While in China and Japan moxibustion is also used to prevent diseases, in Europe it is only used for existing diseases. The therapeutic spectrum ranges from cold sensations of the body such as freezing or cold feet, low blood pressure, circulatory disorders, chronic respiratory diseases, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, back pain, chronic fatigue syndrome and immune deficiency.
Risks, side effects, and hazards
To exclude injuries, unlike acupuncture, the face, skull, neck and mucous membrane areas are left out.Moxa therapy is also not performed directly over organs or varicose veins. If moxibustion is applied correctly, usually no discomfort or even pain should occur. Nevertheless, the patient may experience headaches or problems falling asleep during the therapy. Then the treatment must be stopped immediately. A direct moxibustion without carpet pad can lead to burns up to burn blisters, so that a scarring develops from it. Under certain conditions moxibustion is not advisable. This applies to fever, acute infections and inflammations, high blood pressure, bleeding, during menstruation, strong nervousness and inner restlessness, insomnia and skin diseases. Moxibustion is also taboo directly over wounds. Caution is advised for diabetics with diabetic polyneuropathy. Due to this sensitivity disorder, the heat of the moxa herb is often not perceived properly, so that burns can quickly occur. A tightrope walk is the treatment of children. Unintended complications, such as wound infection, can result in dangerous consequences such as scars that can be potentially disfiguring. Therefore, when treating children, either the consent of the child itself must be available, if the child is capable of making a decision, or the parents must provide a declaration of consent. In addition, a medically professional execution must be guaranteed. But this fails, since the scientific effectiveness of the Moxibustion could not be proven so far. There are no meaningful scientific studies available.