Every time Duan Yang Festival comes around, it is common knowledge among the elderly to hang mugwort leaves and sweet flag on their doors to ward off impurities and prevent disasters with their fragrance. However, not everyone may be aware of the use of mugwort leaves in acupuncture to prevent and treat diseases.
Mugwort leaves are commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine. They have a warm nature, bitter and spicy taste, and a fragrant aroma. They have the effects of warming the meridians, stopping bleeding, dispelling cold, and relieving pain. Traditional Chinese medicine doctors often use them in combination with other herbs for bleeding disorders due to deficiency and cold, abdominal pain and cold, irregular menstruation, and excessive uterine bleeding. However, their most common use is in acupuncture. By igniting mugwort leaves and turning them into moxa wool, moxa cones, or moxa sticks, the heat from the moxibustion stimulates the body, allowing the medicinal properties to penetrate through the meridians and acupoints, promoting the circulation of Qi and blood, and strengthening the body's resistance to disease.
In the ancient medical book "Yi Xue Ren Men", it is stated, "When medicine is insufficient and acupuncture is not effective, moxibustion is necessary." This shows that moxibustion is an important treatment method in addition to medication and needle stimulation. In traditional moxibustion, mugwort moxibustion is just one method. Other methods include using burning lampwick soaked in oil for hot moxibustion, applying crushed stimulating herbs such as garlic, white mustard seeds, and dry lotus herb to the body surface for foam moxibustion, and combining moxibustion with other methods. For example, using ginger, salt, or pepper as a barrier during mugwort moxibustion, or using warm needles with cut sections of mugwort sticks inserted into the handle of acupuncture needles. Each method has its own characteristics and indications, and acupuncturists will choose different moxibustion methods based on the patient's condition.
