Moxibustion — kyū — is the warming of points and channels with mogusa, the refined floss of mugwort (Artemisia). It is the fire beside the needle, and in the Japanese tradition it is not a minor adjunct but an art in its own right: a way of adding yang, moving cold and damp, and rousing a depleted constitution that the needle alone cannot reach.
The forms of the art
Direct moxa (okyu) — tiny cones burned on the skin, the classical method for tonifying and for stubborn, deep patterns. Heat-perception moxa (chinetsukyū) — held until the warmth is just felt, gentle and widely applicable. Moxa-head needle (kyūtōshin) — moxa burned on the handle of an inserted needle, warming the point from within. Each is chosen to the pattern, the constitution, and the strength of the patient.
The refinement of moxibustion — where to warm, how much, and when to withhold it — is taught throughout the Sage Medicine curriculum, and expanded material on the classical methods will be added to this gate.
More to come