The Benefits of Moxibustion in Autumn
The Benefits of Moxibustion in Autumn
China's oldest medical classic, Huangdi Neijing, gives the answer: “When medicine fails, and acupuncture cannot reach, moxibustion must be used.”
The mechanism of moxibustion dates back to ancient times. People once experimented with various minerals, woody plants, and herbs as the main materials for moxibustion, but long-term practice showed that using mugwort leaves for moxibustion had unique advantages that other methods could not replace.
Modern medical research has proven that in addition to the life infrared effect generated during the burning of mugwort, the chemical components in mugwort leaves also have the functions of warming the meridians, activating blood circulation, dispelling cold, and relieving pain.
Moxibustion not only integrates the pharmacological effects of herb therapy (moxibustion through indirect application) but also combines the benefits of acupuncture (targeting acupoints). It is simple and convenient to operate, making it one of the best health maintenance methods.
How effective is moxibustion?
— Ancient Records —
In Compendium of Materia Medica, it is written: “Moxibustion penetrates the meridians and treats hundreds of diseases, restoring health to those with chronic illnesses.” This shows how highly ancient people valued moxibustion, even if some claims may be exaggerated.
In Jiu Fa Yi Jian, moxibustion is described as having the effects of “warming the meridians, expelling cold and dampness, raising yang energy, promoting recovery, resolving blood stasis, removing toxins, and releasing heat; preventing disease and strengthening the body.”
Benefits of Moxibustion You Should Know:
Harmonizing Yin and Yang, Balancing the Organs:
The balance of yin and yang in the body is fundamental to the occurrence and development of disease. Moxibustion can harmonize yin and yang through its supplementing and draining actions.Warming the Meridians, Dispelling Cold:
Mugwort is warm in nature, and when ignited, its heat penetrates deep into the muscle layers, promoting warmth and blood circulation. Moxibustion helps to warm the meridians, disperse cold and dampness, regulate qi and blood, and relieve pain.Promoting Qi and Blood Circulation, Dispersing Stagnation:
Qi flows with warmth and stagnates with cold. Moxibustion, through heat stimulation, helps coordinate qi and blood, harmonize the body’s defenses, and promote circulation, thereby dispersing stagnation and resolving masses.Warming Yang and Toning Deficiency, Supporting Qi:
Mugwort, being of pure yang nature, is beneficial for people with yang deficiency or qi deficiency leading to prolapse. Moxibustion can invigorate qi and yang, lift prolapsed yang, and strengthen the body's defenses.Restoring Yang and Rescuing from Collapse:
Ancient texts say, “In emergencies of yang collapse, apply moxibustion at Shenque and Guanyuan points to restore yang.” Moxibustion has the power to restore yang and prevent collapse in cases of severe yang deficiency.Preventing Disease, Strengthening the Body, and Promoting Longevity:
After prolonged illness, surgery, or chemotherapy, the body’s vital energy is greatly depleted. Moxibustion helps to strengthen the body, expel pathogens, enhance immunity, and aid recovery. It also serves as a preventive healthcare method, promoting strength and longevity.
If moxibustion in summer is “the icing on the cake,” then moxibustion in autumn is “a timely help in adversity.”
In autumn, as the weather cools, the body’s yang energy also tends to recede and decline. Moxibustion can warm the meridians and harmonize qi and blood. Compared to other seasons, autumn and winter can maximize the warming and yang-strengthening effects of moxibustion.
Three Reasons You Should Do Moxibustion in Autumn:
Declining Immunity in Autumn:
As autumn arrives, the weather becomes unpredictable, alternating between hot and cold, with significant temperature differences between day and night. This easily drains the body's yang energy and weakens immunity, leading to symptoms such as spontaneous sweating, colds, allergies, fevers, rashes, and poor sleep.Moxibustion can help: Warm the meridians, strengthen yang energy, enhance immunity, and improve sleep.
Dry Autumn Climate, Easily Damaging Vitality:
The dryness of autumn, combined with the heat of summer, accelerates the loss of body fluids. If the body’s yang energy is insufficient, its ability to retain fluids decreases, leading to dry skin, pigmentation, acne, enlarged pores, dry throat, red eyes, scanty menstruation, hair loss, dizziness, and headaches.Moxibustion can help: Preserve body fluids, moisturize the skin, delay aging, nourish qi and blood, and support the organs and joints.
Autumn's Falling Leaves, Frost, and Emotional Vulnerability:
As autumn progresses, daylight decreases, yang energy recedes, and temperatures drop. The sight of falling leaves and frost can evoke feelings of melancholy. The body’s yang energy weakens, making people more prone to depression, anxiety, and emotional imbalances. Cold energy may also cause blood stagnation, joint pain, chest tightness, and shortness of breath.Moxibustion can help: Open the chest, regulate qi, warm and nourish the body, and invigorate blood to alleviate stagnation.
Autumn Health Tips:
In autumn, due to internal and external factors, the incidence of colds, coughs, skin diseases, and other illnesses increases, hence the saying “autumn is a time of many troubles.”
Ancient scholars divided autumn into early, mid, and late stages, each requiring different health measures.
Early Autumn: Focus on clearing heat and dampness, nourishing yin, and moisturizing dryness. Moxibustion points: Feishu, Pishu, Dachangshu, Yinlingquan, Taixi.
Dietary advice: As early autumn includes the periods of “Beginning of Autumn” and “Limit of Heat,” the weather is still hot and rainy. Emphasize “mild tonics” such as foods that strengthen the spleen, drain dampness, clear heat, and relieve summer heat.
Mid-Autumn: Nourish yin and prevent dryness, benefit the lungs and stomach. Moxibustion points: Feishu, Pishu, Gaohuang, Zhaohai, Taixi.
Dietary advice: Mid-autumn includes “White Dew” and “Autumn Equinox,” a period with less rain and drier air. Emphasize “nourishing yin and moisturizing dryness.”
Late Autumn: Prevent dryness and cold, maintain a positive attitude. Moxibustion points: Feishu, Pishu, Ganshu, Shenshu, Guanyuan.