How does the purity of moxa affect its effectiveness in moxibustion therapy?

Not all moxa used in moxibustion therapy is the same. Moxa varies in purity. The purity of moxa is determined by how many kilograms of raw material (i.e., mugwort leaves) are used to produce 1 kilogram of moxa. This ratio varies among moxas and different manufacturers but typically falls within the range of 3:1 to 15:1. Does the purity of moxa influence its effectiveness in treatments? What are the characteristics of moxa with different purities? Is purer moxa necessarily better? You will find answers to these questions in the following article.

Table of Contents:

1) How is the purity of moxa measured?

2) How does the moxa production process affect its purity?

3) Is purer moxa always better?

4) How does the purity of moxa affect moxibustion therapy?

How is the purity of moxa measured?

Purity of moxa is generally shown by the ratio of the weight of raw material to the weight of moxa floss, which is called leaf-moxa ratio. If 1 kg moxa is made from 10 kg mugwort leaves, the leaf-moxa ratio is 10:1. However, the leaf-moxa ratio does not have a standard. Though raw material generally refers to dried mugwort leaves, some producers may calculate a leaf-moxa ratio based on the weight of fresh leaves.

How does the moxa production process affect its purity?

A higher leaf-moxa ratio means that moxa has been filtered more times, so there are fewer impurities and tiny fragments of leaves. The higher proportion of fibers makes moxa have a lighter color. The color of moxa with a very high leaf-moxa ratio is golden, so this kind of moxa is named “Golden Moxa” by producers of moxa.

Traditional production mode of moxa is manual work. The output is very limited and the purity of moxa is not high. Now only some therapists or enthusiasts manually make moxa for private use. Moxa factories generally use machines to produce moxa, and modern production mode allows a very high leaf-moxa ratio.

Is purer moxa always better?

There is a controversy around moxa with very high purity. Dried mugwort leaves should be crushed and filtered many times for purifying moxa. It causes a machine to work with high temperature. In such an environment, moxa loses too much volatile oil and its effective constituents may be denaturalized. It causes concerns about therapeutic effects.

How does the purity of moxa affect moxibustion therapy?

According to the research of Wu Juan and her team, moxa with a higher leaf-moxa ratio has lower heat of combustion. Higher heat of combustion means stronger heating effect, while lower heat of combustion means that the fire is gentler.[1]

According to the research of Jin Ran and his team for comparing volatile constituents of moxa with leaf-moxa ratios of 3:1, 5:1, 8:1 and 15:1, moxa with a higher ratio has fewer volatile constituents, which means that the fire of burning moxa become gentler and moxa smoke becomes less irritant. Based on the research, 3:1 and 5:1 are recommended leaf-moxa ratios.[2]

According to the research of Wang Xiaoping and his team for infrared spectrum characteristics of moxa rolls with four different leaf-moxa ratios (5:1, 10:1, 15:1 and 30:1), moxa with leaf-moxa ratio of 5:1 can meet clinical needs.[3]

References:

[1] WU Juan, WAN Dingrong, JIANG Yuanming, et al. Determination of Combustion Heat Value of Raw Material Moxa for Moxibustion Therapy. Shanghai Journal of Acupuncture-Moxibustion. 2020; 39 (12): 1623 - 1627.

[2] SUN Yu, LI Jiping, WU Jingyi, et al. Suggestions for Quality Research on Moxa Stick. Chinese Journal of New Drugs. 2019; 28 (9): 1044 - 1047.

[3] WANG Xiaoping, SHEN Xueyong, WEI Jianzi. Study on the Spectral Characteristics of Infrared Radiation of Mild Moxa-stick Moxibustion with Different Parameters. Shanghai Journal of Acupuncture-Moxibustion. 2021; 40 (3): 358 - 361.