moxibustion

Burning of herbal agents, such as moxa, on the skin as a counterirritant in the treatment of disease; a component of traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine.

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mox·i·bus·tion .mäk-si-'bəs-chən n the therapeutic use of moxa

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n.

a form of treatment favoured in Japan, in which cones of sunflower pith or down from the leaves of the plant Artemisia moxa are stuck to the skin and ignited. The heat produced by the smouldering cones acts as a counterirritant and is reputed to cure a variety of disorders.

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mox·i·bus·tion (mok″sĭ-busґchən) the stimulation of an acupoint by the burning of a cone or cylinder of moxa placed at or near the point. The cone may be burned on the skin, either directly or placed on a mediating substance, or at a short distance from the skin on a cigarlike moxa pole. It may also be burned on the handle of an acupuncture needle, the heat being transmitted through the needle to the acupuncture site.