acupuncture and acupressure in its effects but uses a glowing wick instead
of needles or fingertips as the source of stimulation for the acupoints. Tradi-
tionally moxa is the dried leaves of Artemisia vulgarisand Artemesia argyi
and other species of mugwort, made into various forms including:
- punk – loose moxa, rather like green cotton-wool
- moxa rolls – similar to cigars in appearance
- moxa cones.
When lit, the moxa smoulders slowly. The glowing moxa rolls are held
about 2 cm from the acupoint. Another method is for a small moxa cone to be
placed on the blunt end of an acupuncture needle while it is in place. It is lit,
transmitting the heat down the needle into the acupuncture point. A cone may
also be placed directly on the skin over a slice of ginger. It is lit at its apex and
burnt down until the patient is able to feel the heat; it is then removed. Cauter-
ising moxibustion involves the burning of loose punk directly on the skin until
blisters form; however, this technique is unlikely to be used in the UK.
Moxibustion tones, stimulates and supplements energy in the meridians.
It is claimed to be an effective treatment for arthritis and menstrual
problems.
Chinese herbal medicine
In the west it is quite normal to equate the word ‘herbal’ with something that
grows in the garden. Certainly most Chinese herbal remedies are made from
plant material, but others are of mineral or animal origin, e.g. gypsum (shi
gao) is a cooling mineral ‘herb’ commonly used to treat conditions charac-
terised by much heat. Oyster shells (mu li) may be used for hypertension. The
use of animal parts is a controversial issue in western communities and it is
currently illegal in the UK to use anything other than plant material in herbal
decoctions. In China and other Asian countries the practice is still wide-
spread, but it has been largely discontinued elsewhere after action by regula-
tory authorities with enthusiasm that may occasionally be misplaced. The
famous highly aromatic salve marketed around the world known as Tiger
Balm was once the subject of a dawn raid of Chinese herbalists by police in
Manchester. They thought that they had uncovered the illegal use of parts
from a protected wild animal. There were a few red faces when it was
realised that the title merely referred to the nickname of the brand owner!
History
China’s greatest materia medica (Pen Ts’ao) was published by Li Shizhen in
1578.^148 The culmination of 26 years’ work, it comprises 1892 species of
Traditional Chinese medicine | 151