Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) believes that kidney yang is the external manifestation of the essence and qi of the kidneys, playing a role in warming the entire body. When yang qi is deficient, it can lead to a shortened lifespan, and life can be cut short. Each person’s life largely depends on their own yang qi for protection.
Deficiency of kidney yang can manifest as cold intolerance, cold limbs, excessive sleepiness, abdominal pain, relief from warmth, preference for warmth and pressure, clear and prolonged urination, diarrhea, and loose stools. Yang deficiency can especially lead to female reproductive system diseases, causing menstrual irregularities, severe dysmenorrhea, delayed menstruation, scanty menstrual flow, dark-colored blood, or menorrhagia. Just as rivers freeze and water flow stagnates in the cold winter, insufficient yang qi in the body can lead to poor circulation of qi and blood, even causing stagnation. Therefore, for health preservation, nurturing “yang qi” is paramount.
To warm and tonify yang qi, moxibustion has become the preferred choice due to its simplicity and low cost. Moxibustion can prevent diseases and prolong life, with a history of thousands of years. As early as in the “Huangdi Neijing” (Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon), it was pointed out that “when there is great wind and sweating, moxibustion is preferred at the acupoints.” The “Zhuangzi” records that the sage Confucius “performed moxibustion on himself without being ill.” Many classic TCM texts indicate that moxibustion can promote health and wellness. Moxibustion involves crushing mugwort leaves to produce moxa wool, moxa sticks, and moxa cones, which are burned at various acupoints to transmit the warming effects of the mugwort to the body’s meridians.Moxibustion can warm and unblock the meridians, invigorate blood circulation, and dispel cold.Clinically, moxibustion techniques often include warming acupuncture, indirect moxibustion, thunder fire moxibustion, and heat-sensitive moxibustion. Burning mugwort has antibacterial and analgesic properties and can regulate the body’s immune response.
Warming Yang and Nourishing Kidney Moxa
Our hospital is a maternal and child health hospital, and our department has developed a special moxa stick—Warming Yang and Nourishing Kidney Moxa (commonly used for pre-pregnancy conditioning, dysmenorrhea, late menstruation, and various gynecological diseases).
The main ingredients and indications of the Warming Yang and Nourishing Kidney Moxa stick are:
The Warming Yang and Nourishing Kidney Moxa stick is made from a mixture of mugwort leaf powder, cinnamon twig (Gui Zhi), psoralea fruit (Bu Guo Zi), and chicken blood vine (Ji Xue Teng) pressed into moxa wool, with the main effects being warming yang, tonifying qi, warming the kidneys, dispelling cold, and alleviating pain. It is suitable for conditions of kidney yang deficiency such as infertility, dysmenorrhea, late menstruation, and menorrhagia.
1. Treatments Related to Warming Yang and Nourishing Kidney Moxa in Our Department
1
Moxa box + acupuncture
Place the lit Warming Yang and Nourishing Kidney moxa stick in the moxa box, positioning the box above the acupuncture points, and retain the needles for 40 minutes to warm and tonify yang qi.
2
Du Meridian Moxa Box Moxibustion
Place the lit Warming Yang and Nourishing Kidney moxa stick into a specially designed moxa box for the Du meridian, moxibustion is performed on the back along the Du meridian and bladder channel.
2. Home Health Care Methods Using Warming Yang and Nourishing Kidney Moxa and Common Acupoints
1
Suspended moxibustion
Light the Warming Yang and Nourishing Kidney moxa stick, hold it close to the acupoint that needs treatment, and perform techniques such as sparrow pecking moxibustion and circular moxibustion.
2
Common Acupoints for Warming Yang and Nourishing Kidney Moxibustion
Middle Cavity (Zhong Wan), Lower Cavity (Xia Wan), Guanyuan (Guan Yuan), Qihai (Qi Hai)—to draw qi back to the source, strengthen the yang, stabilize collapse, cultivate original qi, return yang and nourish yin, harmonize the nutritive and defensive qi, and prolong life.
Shenque (Shen Que)—to cultivate yang and stabilize the foundation, return yang to rescue collapse, and delay aging.
Shenshu (Shen Shu)—to tonify the kidneys and assist yang, regulate reproductive function.Mingmen (Ming Men)—to cultivate the kidneys and stabilize the foundation, strengthen the lower back and knees.Yaoyangguan (Yao Yang Guan)—to dispel cold and dampness, alleviate dysmenorrhea, and promote qi and relieve pain.Da Chang Shu (Da Chang Shu), Xiao Chang Shu (Xiao Chang Shu)—to strengthen the lower back and knees, and regulate the intestines.Yongquan (Yong Quan)—to stimulate the flow of qi in the kidney meridian and warm and tonify kidney yang.
Author Profile: Song Shuxia
Title: Associate Chief Physician
Personal Profile:
Master of Medicine, graduated from Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences with a specialization in integrated Chinese and Western medicine, trained under the renowned gynecologist Liu Yunpeng, a descendant of the famous TCM practitioner Liu Yiping, and has been practicing for over three years, becoming the seventh generation inheritor of Liu’s TCM. She has long been engaged in maternal and child health work.
Member of the TCM and Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine Branch of the Chinese Maternal and Child Health Association, and member of the Reproductive Medicine Committee of the Guangdong Province TCM Association.
Areas of Expertise:
Specializes in pediatric respiratory and digestive diseases, postpartum care, recurrent IVF failures, premature ovarian failure, infertility, threatened abortion, recurrent miscarriage, dysmenorrhea, and gynecological inflammation. Participated in multiple related research projects and published over ten academic papers.
Consultation Hours:
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday all day (Panyu District);
Friday all day (Yuexiu District).
Author: Song Shuxia Proofread by: Lin Zhenggeng Layout: Zhu Ling
Some images are sourced from the internet, please delete if infringing!
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Guangdong Provincial Maternal and Child Health Hospital TCM Department