Formulas & Needles
Why can moxibustion treat diseases?
Mugwort (Ai Ye), warm in nature and fragrant, is not only a folk remedy for dispelling miasma during the Dragon Boat Festival but also the core herb in moxibustion for disease prevention and treatment. This article details its actions of warming the meridians, dispersing cold, stopping bleeding, and relieving pain, and systematically introduces various moxibustion methods — moxa stick, moxa cone, indirect moxibustion (ginger-partitioned, salt-partitioned), warming needle moxibustion, burning rush moxibustion, and blistering moxibustion — along with their indications, citing the classic text Yi Xue Ru Men: “Where herbs and needles fail, moxibustion must be used.”
Every year during the Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu Festival), hanging mugwort and calamus on the front door to dispel filth and ward off calamity with their aromatic scent is a common piece of knowledge among elderly friends. However, not everyone necessarily knows that mugwort leaves are used in acupuncture and moxibustion to prevent and treat diseases.
Mugwort leaf (Ai Ye) is one of the commonly used Chinese medicinal herbs. It is warm in nature, bitter and acrid in taste, and aromatic. It has the effects of warming the meridians to stop bleeding, and dispersing cold to relieve pain. TCM physicians often combine it in formulas to treat deficiency-cold type bleeding disorders, cold abdominal pain, menstrual irregularities, and uterine bleeding. Yet its most frequent use is in acupuncture and moxibustion. The leaves are processed into moxa wool, moxa cones, or moxa sticks, which are ignited to deliver warm, thermal stimulation to the body through the heat of moxibustion. This allows the medicinal force to penetrate inward and, through the conduction of meridians and acupoints, achieves the purpose of warming and promoting qi and blood, and supporting zheng qi while expelling pathogenic factors, thus preventing and treating disease.
The ancient medical text Yi Xue Ru Men (Introduction to Medicine) states: “Where medicine cannot reach, and needling cannot achieve, moxibustion must be applied.” This indicates that moxibustion is an important therapeutic method in addition to herbal medicine and acupuncture. Among traditional moxibustion methods, moxa moxibustion is only one type. It also includes: lamp-fire moxibustion, where a rush pith is dipped in oil, ignited, and quickly dabbed on acupoints to cause a small burn; blistering moxibustion, where strongly irritant substances such as garlic, white mustard seed, or eclipta are mashed and applied to the body surface to induce blistering; and moxibustion combined with other methods — such as indirect moxibustion, where ginger, salt, or pepper powder is placed between the moxa and the skin, and warming-needle moxibustion, where a small segment of moxa stick is placed on the handle of an already inserted acupuncture needle and ignited. Each of these methods has its own characteristics and indications, and the acupuncturist will choose the appropriate moxibustion technique based on the patient's condition.