2014 marked the beginning of my connection with moxibustion. Five years after undergoing surgery for uterine fibroids, my body remained as weak as a deflated balloon. Coupled with caring for my rebellious middle-school-aged son, I was so exhausted that walking felt like trudging through cotton wool. A friend’s suggestion—”moxibustion replenishes vitality; guasha treats robust ailments”—ignited this warm journey of physical and emotional healing.
The Chuye moxa sticks gifted by my friend introduced me to authentic “warm moxibustion.” The gentle, penetrating heat was utterly different from the cheap sticks I later bought on Taobao (those felt like roasting meat!). Though blisters formed initially on my lower back and Zusanli (the depression three finger-widths below the outer knee), I sensed my body expelling dampness (a stagnation akin to edema), as if slowly evaporating years of accumulated moisture. After enduring the blistering and itching phase, my legs miraculously regained strength.
The most astonishing breakthrough came when I alleviated my father’s frozen shoulder. Using a portable moxibustion cup (a small, attachable device) to warm his Dazhui (the prominent vertebra at the base of the neck) and shoulders, blisters appeared after three days. Following expert guidance, we punctured them for cupping therapy. When jelly-like metabolic waste was extracted, my father could suddenly lift his arm again! These visible results transformed our skeptical family into ardent moxibustion advocates.
During Wuhan’s 2020 lockdown, as anxiety gripped the city, the fragrant smoke of burning moxa wafted ceaselessly through our home. Beyond daily moxibustion sessions to boost immunity, the smoldering moxa served as a natural disinfectant. For four months of isolation, the distinctive herbal aroma became our talisman of calm.
Today, even my 70-year-old mother has become a moxibustion enthusiast. Once plagued by icy hands and feet in winter, she now warms the Yongquan acupoint (at the sole’s center) with a moxa-infused footrest and soaks her feet in mugwort herbal pouches before bed, glowing with vitality as if rejuvenated by a decade. Visitors never leave empty-handed—she insists on gifting them moxa products: “Try this mysterious Eastern energy!”
Over nine years, our moxibustion tools have evolved from palm-sized eye masks to a full-body treatment bed. Every new moxa product sparks my curiosity—this millennia-old therapy of warmth has long since permeated our family’s daily life.
