Also known as "moxa," it's a form of heat therapy that promotes healing via far-infrared heat created by burning the herb known as mugwort, or artemisia argyi, close to the skin. (A relative of it, artemisia vulgaris, is a common weed in Long Island!) The practice of using moxa on acu points is as old as or even older than acupuncture itself. Like needles, it helps stimulate the body's natural healing mechanism by warming the area and promoting the smooth flow of Qi/energy & blood. Many types of moxibustion exist.

My technique is known as rice-grain moxa, for which I source mugwort from a producer in Japan. It is applied on top of a therapeutic salve known as shiunko, or "purple cloud cream". I grow the salve's primary ingredient, zi cao, in my garden; it gives it its vibrant red-purple color, and its therapeutic properties.