What is Moxibustion?

Moxibustion is a form of heat therapy in which dried plant materials called "Moxa" are burned on or very near the surface of the skin. The intention is to warm and invigorate the flow of Qi in the body and dispel certain pathogenic influences.

Moxa is usually made from the dried leafy material of Chinese mugwort.

What can I expect if Moxa is used during my therapy?

Within your treatment session, the burning of Moxa close to, but not touching, the surface of the skin will occur.

Moxa comes in many different forms e.g rolls, cones, toilet and sticks.

In this method, the Moxa material is compressed into a stick, so that can be lit and allowed to smoulder, producing a unique form of very penetrating heat.

The smouldering Moxa  is used over specific areas, often, though not always, corresponding to certain acupuncture points. The glowing end of the Moxa  is held about an inch or two above the surface of the skin until the area reddens and becomes suffused with warmth.

What can I expect to feel?

It is not uncommon for patients receiving moxibustion to report a sudden flooding of warmth that quickly radiates along a specific pathway away from the site of application.

When is moxibustion used?

Acupuncture and moxibustion may be used together within the same therapy session when appropriate.

Unlike acupuncture, which is almost always done by a trained practitioner in a clinic setting, moxibustion can be easily used at home. It is not uncommon for Chinese medical practitioners to train their patients to use moxa on themselves to strengthen the effect of the clinical sessions between appointments.

What does it smell like?

There is a small inconvenience associated with moxibustion: the smoke and odour. Although there are so-called smokeless varieties of moxa, the preferred true moxa (made from mugwort) does produce a lot of smoke when burned.

However, the lingering odour produced from burning mugwort unfortunately smells somewhat like marijuana but has none of the same effects.

Moxa is fully legal here in the UK.

What do I need to wear?

It is best to wear loose clothing for your therapy sessions, and we do not recommend that you eat a large meal, drink strong coffee or alcohol just prior to a treatment.

What happens if I fall asleep during the session?

Falling asleep is actually very common and is nothing to be embarrassed about, in fact a large proportion of our client's do fall into a deep sleep during the process due to its relaxing nature.

Do I need to bring anything to my appointment?

Nothing - just bring yourself and we will do the rest!

How will I feel after my session?

We would expect you to feel very calm and relaxed once we have added moxa heat into your treatment.