Moxa is the plant artemisia vulgaris. It grows all over the world and is revered in Chinese Medicine. It even grows in the yard at Leta's clinic, if you want to see a live sample in the summer time.
Tthe dried leaves are rolled on a screen for a very long time to fluff it up and get the oils in the plant to come out so it can stick together.
Historians surmise that moxa was being used for moxabustion even before acunpuncture was invented. In fact, it may have been the reason that acupuncture was invented.
There are two types of Moxabusion -- direct and indirect.
Direct moxabustion uses loose moxa. Practitioners roll the loose moxa into little cones that are placed on specific acu-points. Then the practitioner lights the cone. When you begin to feel the heat, the practitioner takes the cone off. Direct moxa doesn't burn the skin. Only about half of the cone is burned before it is taken off.
Indirect moxabustion passes burning moxa over an affected area, leaving a few inches between the moxa and the skin. The most common method is with a moxa stick (moxa rolled into a long stick). This is useful over large areas that are painful, such as the low back. Another method is to put loose moxa into a container that you pass over the affected area, such as a box or something that looks like a tea ball with a handle.
Most people find moxabustion very pleasant. Occasionally it feels very hot. But typically moxabustion does not hurt during or after the treatment.
Generally, moxabustion does not leave a mark. Occasionally some people with very sensitive skin may have a mark that can last a while. This is very rare. But for this reason, moxabustion is typically not done on the face.
in China, traditionally, some practitioners would do something called scarring moxa, which was to purposely burn the skin to keep the treatment working for a long time. This is not usually practiced in the West.
