There is a type of herb that appears very ordinary. In the rural areas of both southern and northern China, it can be found everywhere in the fields. Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival, this herb is harvested by families who adhere to traditional customs, silently used for warding off evil and praying for blessings.
In southern China, the Hakka people of Guangdong like to use its roots to make soup, which dispels wind and warms the stomach. In rural areas of Anhui, postpartum women follow the advice of the elderly, using the water infused with this herb for bathing or steaming, achieving the effects of regulating qi and blood and expelling cold and dampness. In both rural and suburban areas at night, burning this herb to drive away mosquitoes and flies is a common sight. This magical and ubiquitous herb is known as “Ai” (Mugwort).
02
Ancient Chinese medical texts mention the treatment method of moxibustion: “When medicine cannot reach, and acupuncture cannot penetrate, it must be moxibustion.” This means that many conditions that cannot be cured by acupuncture or medicine can be treated with moxibustion. “The method of preserving life, moxibustion is the first” indicates that moxibustion can prolong life and nourish the kidneys. Moxibustion is an important component of ancient Chinese medicine. Its characteristics include not requiring medication, having no toxic side effects, and being a green, natural therapy. Moxibustion uses the heat generated from moxa (made from mugwort leaves) to stimulate acupuncture points or specific areas on the body, adjusting the disordered physiological and biochemical functions of the body by invigorating the flow of qi, thus achieving the goals of treating and preventing diseases. Moxibustion has become a common practice and is recorded in various texts. It has undergone long-term experimentation, research, and promotion, continuing to this day.
03
The fire of Ai is the pure Yang fire. Therefore, ancient Chinese people referred to the sun as the Yang of heaven and “Ai” as the Yang of the earth. Yang energy is the foundation of life. The Inner Canon states: “Yang energy is like heaven and sun; if it loses its place, it will shorten life and not manifest.” If we consider Yang energy as one hundred, then from birth to death, it is a process of Yang energy decreasing from one hundred to zero. Therefore, health preservation emphasizes maintaining and strengthening Yang energy. The heat of Ai is unparalleled by other heating substances. The special short-wave infrared rays produced during the burning of Ai penetrate three to four times deeper than ordinary long-wave infrared rays, activating cellular immune activators and enhancing the body’s immunity. Moxibustion also has the function of automatically locating disease sites and unblocking meridians. The continuous burning and transmission of Ai fire allows the pure Yang warmth to penetrate from the skin surface into the body, reaching the disease site, unblocking obstructions, and automatically regulating the internal balance of Yin and Yang, thus achieving the functions of strengthening Yang, health preservation, and disease treatment. Research institutions in TCM have compared Ai with other medicinal materials and various physical and chemical methods, and the results show that no method can completely replace Ai. The Chinese character for “Ai” (艾) originally meant to restore governance to its original state, and in ancient times, young and beautiful girls were referred to as “Shaoi Ai”. This reflects the ideal extension of Ai’s medical use.
04
Where do strange evils come from? Where do diseases come from? The human body is originally a unified whole of opposing Yin and Yang. TCM believes that the occurrence of diseases is due to the imbalance of Yin and Yang. During the occurrence and development of diseases, there must be some pathological products accumulating. If these pathological products can find a way out, the disease will inevitably be halted and move towards recovery. TCM practitioners understand that everyone has a phenomenon of meridians in their body, just like a running generator where there is voltage and current on the metal wire. The twelve meridians and three hundred sixty-five acupuncture points correspond to the various organs of the body. The organs communicate with each other through these pathways.In a healthy physiological state, the internal organs are closely connected to the acupuncture points on the body surface through the meridian system. In a pathological state, the acupuncture points serve as natural channels and openings for discharging pathological products. Moxibustion, like acupuncture, selects corresponding points on the body’s internal information pathways, using specific factors to artificially stimulate sensory effects. This restores and consolidates the positive cycle while blocking and hindering the negative cycle, thus achieving the effects of disease prevention and treatment. Both acupuncture and moxibustion have the dual functions of supporting the positive and expelling the negative.From the perspective of tonifying and draining, the effect of moxibustion is to tonify more and drain less. The effect of acupuncture is to drain more and tonify less. Acupuncture primarily opens the meridians and cannot tonify the original Yang. The moxibustion method first tonifies and then drains, allowing the evil qi to be expelled while enhancing the positive qi, using the principles of TCM flexibly.Ancient people emphasized health preservation, advocating for nourishing Yang in spring and summer and nourishing Yin in autumn and winter to address the root causes. At least in daily habits, it is better to favor warming tonics rather than cold and cool substances. However, modern people often go against this principle, as the pace of life makes it difficult to follow the natural rhythm of working with the sunrise and resting with the sunset. Growing up in an environment where air conditioning and refrigeration are ubiquitous, combined with the inappropriate use of cold medicines, excessive consumption of cold foods, and staying up late, the Yang energy that the body relies on for health is easily depleted, increasing the life fire in the furnace, which becomes increasingly necessary for modern people.
05
Moxibustion has a wide range of applications, suitable for both chronic patients with weak bodies and acute patients with strong bodies, and can also be used for patients with heat diseases. People with weak vital energy generally have poor stomach function and absorption. Medication treatment is often difficult to fully digest and absorb, and many medicines require the consumption of vital energy to take effect. Long-term medication without timely restoration and supplementation of vital energy will inevitably further damage it. Moxibustion can directly apply heat to the meridians without going through the gastrointestinal tract, thereby nourishing energy, enhancing positive qi, regulating the meridians, and expelling pathogenic factors. Conditions such as kidney deficiency, insomnia, obesity, anemia, various chronic gynecological diseases, chronic kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and spondylitis can all benefit.For diseases that Western medicine considers incurable, moxibustion at points like Guanyuan can lead to recovery. Moxibustion at Guanyuan is based on the principle of supplementing the acquired to nourish the innate. The rise and fall of Yin and Yang in the human body follow fixed rules; as vital energy gradually becomes sufficient, Yin and Yang will naturally operate according to their rules, with what should rise rising and what should fall falling, without the need for artificial adjustment. The body itself has great medicine! The qi of the organs gathers at the abdominal acupuncture points, known as Mu points. There are twelve Mu points corresponding to the six Yin and six Yang organs. Moxibustion at Mu points can treat the diseases of the corresponding organs, like using a strong airflow to clear the meridians while simultaneously opening the main valve to flush out the disease site, achieving excellent results. In daily life, when we catch a cold, we can moxibustion at the Dazhui point, which has a very quick effect. It is best to moxibustion the Dazhui point until the skin becomes red and moist, with slight sweating for optimal results. Moxibustion is also effective for preventing recurrent colds. Gentle moxibustion can be applied to Zhongwan, Guanyuan, and Zusanli.Modern people often experience gastrointestinal discomfort. For general gastrointestinal issues, moxibustion can be applied to Zusanli, Shenque, and Guanyuan. Whether it is stomach heat or stomach cold, moxibustion can be done at Zhongwan. Most people cannot remember too many acupuncture points, but as long as they remember the four major health-preserving acupuncture points and apply moxibustion regularly, they can achieve the effects of strengthening the body, enhancing immunity, and delaying aging. These four major health-preserving acupuncture points are: Guanyuan, Zhongwan, Zusanli, and Mingmen. What if you don’t know the acupuncture points? Moxibustion can be applied directly to the area of discomfort, which the ancients referred to as Ah Shi points or Tian Ying points. You can also select points near the area of discomfort, which we call nearby points.
06
The human body is constantly consuming energy. Although we can moxibustion at any time, there are still some precautions to be aware of. What should we pay attention to after moxibustion? It is best not to wash hands or bathe with cold water for at least one hour after moxibustion. After moxibustion, it is advisable to drink more warm water to assist in detoxification, but absolutely avoid cold or icy water.Is moxibustion suitable for everyone? Pregnant women, those who are extremely fatigued, overly hungry, overly full, intoxicated, excessively sweating, and those in extreme exhaustion or lacking self-control should avoid moxibustion. Certain special areas and major blood vessels, as well as the heart area, should not be moxibustioned, and the eyeballs, which belong to the facial area, should also not be treated.Why do some people experience a worsening of symptoms after moxibustion? For example, many people experience dry mouth and tongue after moxibustion, which is a normal phenomenon of the battle between positive and negative energies. Those pathogenic factors that have resided in the body for a long time will inevitably cause various reactions. Gradual moxibustion allows the body to slowly accumulate enough positive energy, and the pathogenic factors will gradually be expelled from the body.Sometimes when we moxibustion Zhongwan, there may be discomfort in the liver area or the stomach area, which may indicate hidden issues in the liver or diseases in the stomach area. Moxibustion will actively help us adjust. Moxibustion at Guanyuan may reveal hidden issues related to gynecological problems, prostate issues, or reproductive system diseases.The penetrating function of moxibustion indicates that the body has a self-adjusting capability. As long as you stimulate it well, the related parts will work together harmoniously. Everyone has different “meridian sensitivity,” so the sensation of moxibustion varies greatly among individuals. Young adults often experience stronger and faster sensations than older adults. Women also tend to have higher sensitivity than men. The “Compendium of Materia Medica” records: “Mugwort leaves should be aged and used; they treat and soften the body, referred to as熟艾 (Shu Ai). If fresh Ai is used for moxibustion, it can easily harm the skin and meridians, so aged Ai must be used, as emphasized by medical practitioners throughout history.
07
We mainly focus on four aspects: fluffiness, color, taste, and smoke. When selecting moxa sticks and moxa fluff in the market, we can observe that fresh Ai is greenish and dark, and when ignited, it burns fiercely. The smoke produced is blue and black, and it can be quite irritating. Good aged Ai, on the other hand, is earthy yellow or golden, with light white smoke that is not dense. When burned, the smoke swirls upward, with a mild and fragrant Ai aroma that is not pungent, and has strong penetration, resulting in better moxibustion effects.
08
Due to the emphasis on moxibustion for health preservation, many moxibustion devices have been developed under modern conditions, using moxa sticks and various warming moxibustion tools. Because they generally do not break the skin, they are considered safe and reliable, referred to as “gentle moxibustion.”Common methods include the following two: (1) Hand-held moving method: Holding the moxa stick, it is directed at the acupuncture point or painful area, moving up and down or side to side, allowing the patient to perform self-moxibustion for extended periods. (2) Tool support method: Various modern warming moxibustion devices are available, some handheld and some binding types, all aimed at alleviating the burning sensation of direct moxibustion and the fatigue of the hand-held method. Even moxibustion through clothing can continuously exert its penetrating effects.
09
“The method of preserving life, moxibustion is the first”; ancient moxibustion is not only highly valued in our country but is also sought after and applied in many other countries. In the 1920s and 1930s, when infectious diseases ravaged Japan, a man named Harashimi Taro initiated a nationwide “Three Li Moxibustion Movement,” greatly enhancing the immunity of the populace. In the Korean drama “Dae Jang Geum,” there is a scene about moxibustion where Jang Geum’s adoptive father, suffering from severe seasickness and falling into a coma, is treated with moxibustion, and he quickly recovers. This shows that at that time, moxibustion therapy was already quite common and benefited the people in a simple and safe manner.Moreover, around the 17th century, moxibustion therapy spread to Europe, where a German named Ganfer advocated for the use of moxa fluff for moxibustion in his work “Overseas Rare Records,” including a diagram indicating the acupuncture points and indications. The surgical chief of Napoleon’s army, Lalan, also excelled in the application of moxibustion. Since then, the miraculous moxibustion has been significantly promoted in Europe.May every modern person draw nourishment from the medical wisdom of our ancestors, and through the practice of moxibustion, let themselves, their families, and friends be filled with true Yang, strengthen their organ functions, minimize diseases, and enjoy a natural lifespan, experiencing the meaning of life in a healthier and better way, and engaging in the great cause of benefiting all living beings!
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