Get healthy ... people burn moxa (dried medical herbs) on their heads through earthernware pans to "recover their health" at Tokyo's Myoen-ji temple. Photo: AFP Moxibustion from the Japanese word mogusa (艾) is a medical therapy utilizing moxa, or mugwort herb. The 350-year-old custom called ‘houroku-kyu’ is believed to keep heads cool and refresh users bodies on hot summer days.
Moxibustion (Moxa + combustion) is a heat application treatment on the acupuncture points with the use of a herb called "Moxa". In moxibustion, usually a grain-size cone of moxa or dry yellow spongy substance made from a herbal plant "mugwort " is placed on the acupoints and lit with an incense stick. The burning moxa is then pinched out or taken away by the therapist before it burns down completely to the skin. The patient experiences a very comfortable sensation of heat that penetrates deep into the skin (Direct moxibustion). Another popular way of using moxa is to burn a moxa cone on the head of inserted acupuncture needles, or use a cigar-type stick moxa to warm the acupuncture points at a distance (Indirect moxibustion).
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