Video of UNESCO on Moxibustion
Artemisia is a herbaceous perennial plant of the composite family.
There are many recorded species of artemisia, the best known being tarragon, wormwood, and sagebrush. Mugwort interest is in "Artemisia Vulgaris", also called grass fire, St. Peter's tobacco.
Artemisia is grown without insecticide, without pesticides or chemical fertilizers, far from urban pollution. The place where it grows confers specific properties due to the climate, altitude, mode of culture that makes it more appropriate to relieve ailments. It draws on the earth the nutrients it needs, it elevates its stems skyward to receive the necessary light and heat required for its development.
It reaches the pinnacle of his qualities at the summer solstice. It can be harvested that day, as the Druids cut mistletoe finding subsequently all these symbolic gestures.
Cut rod by rod and gathered in bunches, mugwort is suspended in aerated dryers under cover hanging upside down in order to stimulate the flowering tops.
After a few months, mugwort is dry. Thus began the stripping machine work for mixing the leaves and flowers. Grinded, the mixture is packed in our workshop in rolls of different diameter, coated with a very thin and strong paper. These sticks are called "moxa" from the Japanese word "moguza" which means "prolonged fire."
In Occident, the man is considered to be isolated, unrelated to the world around him. As a mechanic, before the repair of the damaged part, the practitioner views the body as a mechanical device composed of different machineries.
He most often treats the effect, not the cause, mainly concerned by the visible symptoms. It is like looking at the tree and ignoring the forest.
In the Eastern countries, especially in Chinese thoughts, man is part of the universe. There is the sky, there is the earth and everything that lives. The human follows the energy balance of heaven and earth. It is influenced and conditioned by the seasons, the cold, the heat, humidity and he rhythm his life according to the elements.
In the Chinese world point of view, a human is an energy unit. Matter and energy define him . Energy puts the matter in motion and matter feeds the energy along paths called meridians.
Chinese medicine is primarily based on the existence of two dualistic energy because complementary but opposing one another: YIN and YANG always judged in relation to each other.
 | Yang is hot, clear, light. Yin is cold, dark, damp. |
Yin and Yang symbolize day and night, heaven and earth, man and woman.
If the man is out of balance, in discordance with the cosmic rhythms, energy does not flow. He is sick. We must restore the circuit.
Chinese medical diagnosis reflects the Yin and Yang and is based on the observation of the face, pulse, tongue, hands. He concludes by choosing the appropriate therapy, which may be acupuncture and/or moxibustion, adding to that a healthy lifestyle, diet, care, medicinal plants, manual techniques aimed at muscle or joint level, and the practice of breathing exercises and mental concentration.
The meridians carry energy forces through the body, connecting points from the skin surface (points) to depth (the various internal organs), serving as a liaison officer.
Each individual meridian, has been given the name of the body organ with which it is connected: for example, the large intestine meridian "GI" the heart "C", etc.
Meridians are symmetrically distributed over the entire body.
Thus, by acting on the circuit energy either by a puncture, a pressure, a massage, or by the effect of heat due to the moxa, the physiology of the organ-function and psychic appearance can be modified .
Tone or disperse energy are terms that we do not have the habit of using, as mainly used by specialists.
However, use moxa to treat transient conditions or relieve minor ailments that plague our lives, such cooling neuralgia, a passenger stress, is accessible and safe for all.
Moxibustion allows to stimulate energy points, muscle areas, in order to warm them up, tone, or regulate the energy.
Indeed, moxa is used in combustion: Ignited at one end and heated to incandescence, the stick is then approached to a specific point of the body in order to stimulate it without touching it. These energy points are known to anyone interested in natural health therapies and energy medicine such as acupuncture, massage, practitioners from schools of digital acupressure, Qi Cong, shiatsu ...
This method is called "MOXIBUSTION." In Asia, it is a popular medicine used daily in families and hospitals. The healthy man follows the rhythms of nature, but if its order is disrupted, balance weakens and disease sets in.
Moxibustion restores energy balance, to reach a healthy condition. Moxa disperses pain, circulates the blood and increases energy by the action of heat.
The practice of moxibustion can:
- Dissolve blockages
- Release the energy flow
- tonify
- Restore the balance between Yin and Yang
 | Ignition: light up the end of the moxa with a flame or incense, then activate it by blowing on it until its end is all incandescent and consumes regularly. |
« Pecking the Moxa »
 | You have located the point and lit the moxa.
Repeat this five or six times. You should feel a gentle heat, the skin reddens slightly. This creates a gentle and deep heat action extremely powerful. |
« Soft Moxa »
 | The method consists in approaching the moxa to 2 or 3 cm of the point to be treated so that the sensation is warm and pleasant. The application time is longer and can last 5 to 20 minutes. |
« Burner accessory»
 | Light up the moxa, then insert it into the burner as shown. Block it by gently pushing and turning the handle towards the moxa. The burner allows the practitioner to treat with high security even in case of unexpected movement of the patient. It also allows the patient self-treatment, especially for hardly accessible points (ie on his back). |
To extinguish the moxa, place it in the extinguisher without pressing on it, it instantly suffocates and turns off by the lack of air.
Usage of loose-mugwort :
For stronger care or for recurring problems, you may prefer to use the loose mugwort.
Ordinary loose mugwort (EC21) is obtained by pre-grinding dried mugwort leaves. It may be used mainly to form cones on coarse salt, garlic or ginger slice , hence avoiding burns.
The purified loose mugwort (EP) is obtained after refining grinded dried mugwort leaves. Its particular "Golden color cottonwool" texture allows it to be used as a grain of rice or on needles. The rice grain is obtained by rolling the loose mugwort between two fingertips.
On a Needle |
As a cone |
As a Rice grain |
DO NOT USE MOXA :
CAUTION :
TO GO FURTHER :
Technic of Moxibustion (in French) (J.Nguyen/JL.Reboul/G.Subey)
