While the practice of acupuncture is widely accepted the worldover, a related form of Chinese healing – moxibustion – remains less familiar. Today, moxibustion practice takes the form of either burning moxa (mugwort) directly on the skin, holding a burning moxa stick near the skin, or attaching the moxa to an inserted acupuncture needle and letting it smoulder, heating the needle. In each case, the herb is burnt at an acupoint, warming the vital meridians to stimulate the flow of qi energy round the body. Pictographs and hieroglyphs found in China suggest it was in use at least as early as the Shang Dynasty, up to 3,600 years ago. Interestingly, a 1998 study published in the ‘Journal of the American Medical Association’ confirmed that moxibustion was successful in rotating a foetus with a breech presentation in 75% of cases.
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