Moxibustion Can Activate Blood Circulation and Reduce Facial Spots

The spots on your face actually stem from issues in the liver! Moxibustion can activate blood circulation and help you lighten these spots! An old saying goes: “The stomach is the trumpet, the liver is the mute.” Why is that? Because if your stomach hurts, you can feel it immediately; but if your liver is in pain, you might not even know it. This is because the liver is the only organ in the body that lacks pain sensation nerves, so people often neglect its health. The liver is the largest detoxification organ in the body. Therefore, if the liver is not functioning well, a person may age prematurely; if the liver is clean and healthy, the skin will become tender. So how do you know if your liver is functioning properly? Here are some symptoms of poor liver health: 1. Yellowing of the complexion and whites of the eyes, itchy skin, and overall yellowish skin. If someone who has never had hepatitis suddenly experiences chills, fever, nausea, vomiting, liver pain, and extreme fatigue, followed by yellowing of the eyes and skin, they may have acute jaundice hepatitis. 2. Weakness in the limbs, extreme fatigue, and a growing sense of lethargy. 3. Difficulty concentrating, easily angered, and significant emotional fluctuations. 4. Dizziness, tinnitus, persistent low-grade fever, or sensitivity to cold. 5. Dark circles under the eyes, with a dull complexion that differs from a tan; tanned skin has a sheen, while this dullness lacks luster. 6. Dark yellow urine, resembling beer in color. 7. The skin begins to wrinkle. The liver is responsible for detoxification; if liver function is poor, toxins accumulate in the body, manifesting as dark spots and wrinkles on the face. 8. Development of “liver spots.” Long-term poor mood and depression can lead to liver qi stagnation. The liver governs the smooth flow of qi; when liver qi is stagnant, the body’s energy flow becomes disordered, leading to the accumulation of waste in the body, which eventually appears as spots on the face. Especially for women with blood stasis characteristics, the skin tends to be rough, the complexion dull, and they are prone to pigmentation and spots. This is why melasma is also called liver spots; it is closely related to liver health. As mentioned before, if a woman’s emotions are poor, it can affect the liver, leading to blood stasis and melasma. Why is melasma also called “liver spots”? “Sleeping well during ugly hours prevents spots on the face.” This saying directly links spots to liver health. The “ugly hours” refer to the time between 1 AM and 3 AM. If you are sound asleep during this time, the liver meridian will send blood back to the liver, nourishing it and allowing for metabolism and self-repair. The prerequisite is that you must be in deep sleep for the liver to begin its work of metabolizing the “waste” in the blood. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) believes that melasma is caused by insufficient kidney qi, liver qi stagnation, blood stasis, and spleen deficiency, which prevents the face from receiving nourishment. In reality, the primary cause of melasma is still liver qi stagnation. Nourishing liver blood will improve a woman’s skin and prevent spots. A woman with an irregular lifestyle or high work stress will definitely have liver qi deficiency or stagnation, leading to melasma on her face. Therefore, melasma is called liver spots because it is directly related to liver health. Regulating the liver and nourishing the heart will keep your face beautiful! 1. Do not get angry. Anger is particularly harmful to the liver; being irritable can negatively impact liver health and lead to various health issues throughout the year. For women with excess liver fire, daily practices such as abdominal massage, tapping the inner thighs, and rubbing the soles of the feet are good methods to nourish yin and reduce liver fire. Tapping the “Danzhong” point is also very effective, as it is the “qi meeting” point of the body and a key point for the pericardium. Qi can easily become blocked here, so regularly tapping this point can help relieve stagnation. Once a woman’s qi flows smoothly, blood circulation will also improve. 2. Abdominal massage can nourish and protect the liver. How to massage the abdomen? Generally, counterclockwise motions are for draining, while clockwise motions are for tonifying. You must first clear blockages before tonifying, so start with counterclockwise motions followed by clockwise ones. Daily massage of one to two hundred times can help relieve liver stagnation. 3. Regulating the liver meridian. To ensure smooth liver qi, in addition to eating more green vegetables and maintaining a regular lifestyle, avoiding anger is essential. Daily massage of the liver meridian is also necessary! ▲ The butterfly stretch is particularly good for stretching the liver meridian. The butterfly stretch opens up the leg meridians, especially the liver meridian, and is simple and convenient to perform. The butterfly stretch resembles a butterfly spreading its wings; it not only helps to soothe the liver and regulate qi but also increases blood flow to the pelvic area, which is especially beneficial for women who sit for long periods. The liver meridian can be tapped on the inner thighs; find a seated position, bend your legs slightly, and let the inner thighs face upward for easy access. You can tap or massage, applying enough pressure to feel stimulation, for about ten minutes on each leg. 4. Moxibustion. The moxibustion points include “Ashishi” point, “Ganyushu” point, and “Sanyinjiao” point. For treating liver spots, the “Ashishi” point corresponds to the spots on our face; moxibustion should be applied directly to the spots. The “Ganyushu” point helps to soothe the liver and gallbladder, reduce fire, relieve spasms, lower fever, benefit the liver and improve vision, open the channels, and regulate qi to alleviate pain. The “Sanyinjiao” point is where the qi and blood of the three meridians (the spleen, kidney, and liver) converge, making it very versatile. It not only strengthens the spleen and nourishes blood but also regulates the liver and kidney, and has a calming effect that can aid sleep. This point is excellent for nourishing the liver, spleen, and kidney. Method: Moxibustion should be performed on each point once a day for eight minutes, for eight consecutive days, followed by one day of rest; The “Ashishi” point can be moxibustion according to individual conditions; it is best to perform guasha (scraping therapy) before moxibustion, as guasha and direct moxibustion on spots can help disperse blood stasis. 5. Pressing the “Taichong” point to detoxify and relieve stagnation. The “Taichong” point is located in the depression before the first and second metatarsal bones on the dorsum of the foot. Use your thumb to massage for 3 to 5 minutes until you feel a slight soreness; do not apply too much pressure, and alternate between both feet. 6. Tear detoxification and emotional release method. Compared to men who never cry, women tend to live longer, and this is related to tears. TCM has long recognized this phenomenon, and Western medicine has confirmed it. Tears, like sweat and urine, are excretory fluids that contain harmful biochemical toxins. So, when you feel sad, wronged, or repressed, let it all out and cry. For those who are always cheerful, watching a sad movie on a weekend afternoon and letting the tears flow with the plot is also a way to actively detoxify. Additionally, aside from genetic factors, women who develop spots on their faces, apart from liver qi stagnation, may also have coldness in the pelvic area, which can be related to gynecological issues that may require relevant adjustments.