Moxibustion

Moxibustion is a TCM technique that involves the burning of mugwort，a small，spongy herb，to facilitate healing，which treats and prevents diseases by applying heat to points or certain locations of the human body.The purpose of moxibustion，as with most TCM forms，is to strengthen Blood，stimulate the flow of Qi，and maintain general health.Diseases that may not be treated by acupuncture may be treated by moxibustion，which include nosebleeds，pulled muscles，mumps，and arthritis.

Today，three types of moxibustion are oftenapplied，and the material used is moxa-wool：

① Moxibustion with moxa stick.When using a moxa stick，a TCM practitioner lights one end and holds it close to the area being treated for several minutes until the area turns red.

② Moxibustion with moxa cone. A smallcone-shaped amount of moxa is placed on top of an acupoint and burned，but is extinguished or removed before it burns the skin.The patient will experience a pleasant heating sensation that penetrates deep into the skin，but should not experience any pain，blistering or scarring unless the moxa is left in place for too long.

③ Moxibustion with warming needle. A needle is inserted into an acupoint and retained.The tip of the needle is then wrapped in moxa and ignited，generating heat to the point and the surrounding area.After the desired effect is achieved，the moxa is extinguished and the needle removed.

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