Moxibustion involves the burning of dried mugwort – also known as Ai Ye or moxa – on specific parts of the body to stimulate blood flow and vital energy (qi or ch’i).* Moxibustion, which is thought to address “yang” deficiencies, is commonly used in conjunction with Chinese acupuncture (an approach called indirect moxibustion). There are four widely used moxibustion methods: direct scarring, direct non-scarring, indirect and stick-on.
* For further information on vital energy (qi or ch’i), please refer to What is traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)?