Purified loose moxa (Golden type) is a " cotton" made out from the crushed leaves and stripped of all their impurities , thus producing a very malleable and formable tow, easy to adhere on the skin and to light.
This shape allows the making of " rice grains " or " strings " for direct moxa usage ; or making cones of mugwort on slices of ginger or garlic (intermediate between the skin and the incandescent mugwort) .