Moxibustion & my heated herbal pillow~

Moxibustion is a TCM therapy using moxa made from dried mugwort. 

Here are some pictures of what it is and how it works

Moxa in raw form

This is a more common way of Moxibustion (indirect).
I used this before as well, but found it too troublesome
(Hand getting tired holding the moxi-stick)

Professional Acupuncture uses moxa for a stronger healing 

So what's so great about Moxibustion or Moxa?
By passing heat from the moxa to warming your body/ meridian points, it stimulates blood circulation and expels cold from the body.

This particular herb Mugwort has been researched on, and found that it acts as an agent to increase blood circulation to pelvic area and uterus, and thus is used often to treat menstrual cramps.

Separate note, as reported in a medical journal, moxibustion has been researched on, and proven to help turn breech babies to a normal head-down position prior to childbirth.

Of course, moxibustion is not used solely for treating menstrual problems, but with the heat and increased blood circulation, it can help patients with arthiritis/ digestive problems/ asthma etc.

There is a doctor in China who has been practicing for over 40 years, and specialises in moxibustion
If you can read mandarin, here's her blog.
I bought her book on Moxibustion by chance, that's when I started to explore on this.

As you can see, moxibustion has smoke, and you need to hold the stick for long period of time, that's why I am using this now:

It's an electric pillow, it's filled with moxa & mineral salt (for heat retaining purpose).
This works probably not as well as the direct moxa stick, but it's so much more comfortable and easy to use, so I'm sticking to this for now!

Side note, I just found out the retailer is also selling pillow refills so that the interior can be replaced! Yay!