Ginger, garlic, salt and herb-partitioned moxibustion
What insulated (partitioned) moxibustion is — moxa burned on ginger, garlic, salt, aconite or herbal cakes — its traditional rationale, and what trials report for nausea, fatigue, period pain and allergic rhinitis.
Short answer: in partitioned, also called insulated or “sandwiched”, moxibustion, a cone of moxa burns on a layer placed on the skin, such as a slice of ginger or garlic, salt in the navel, or a herbal (for example aconite) cake [1]. The layer keeps the ember off the skin. Traditionally each material is chosen for a purpose: ginger to increase warming, garlic for swelling and pain, salt at the navel to “rescue yang”, and aconite to “warm kidney yang” [1].
A very old method
Garlic-partitioned moxibustion (gesuan jiufa) appears in historical Chinese medical illustrations, for example for treating scrofula [2]. Early texts from the Mawangdui tomb already describe moxibustion with different materials [3].
What trials and reviews report
| Use studied | Method | Source | Reported finding | Caveat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemotherapy nausea and vomiting | Ginger moxibustion plus wrist-ankle acupuncture | RCT, 2015 [4] | Prevented GI reactions with fewer side effects | Single trial |
| Chemotherapy nausea and vomiting | Ginger-partitioned moxibustion plus press needles | RCT, 2024 [5] | Relieved nausea and vomiting; safe | Single trial |
| Chronic fatigue syndrome | Ginger-indirect moxibustion plus acupuncture vs acupuncture alone | RCT, 2022 [6] | Relieved fatigue and physical symptoms | Single trial |
| Primary dysmenorrhea | Herb-partitioned moxibustion | RCT, 2019 [7] | Reduced pain, sustained up to 3 months | Mechanism and long-term effect unclear |
| Allergic rhinitis | Indirect moxibustion | Meta-analysis, 2022 [8] | Good overall effect; no clear advantage on symptom scale or IgE | Small, moderate-quality studies |
| IBS with diarrhea | Acupuncture plus “sandwiched” moxibustion | Network meta-analysis, 2022 [9] | Ranked best | Limited studies |
| Urge incontinence after stroke | Ginger-salt indirect moxibustion | Trial protocol [10] | Protocol only | — |
A mechanism review notes claims that active ingredients are enhanced rather than destroyed by burning, and can be supplemented by auxiliary materials such as ginger and garlic. These are hypotheses from mostly laboratory work [1].
Safety points
- The cone still burns hot. Blisters can form if the slice is too thin or the cone burns down too far [11].
- Garlic and some herbs can irritate the skin themselves, and herbal additives carry their own allergy risk [12].
- Salt-in-navel moxibustion concentrates heat on a small area.
- Trials used trained staff. These methods are not intended for unsupervised home use.
Smokeless?
Partitioned moxibustion usually uses loose moxa or traditional cones, so it produces smoke. Charcoal cones exist [13], but trials rarely specify the cone type.
Related pages
FAQ: related questions
Why is moxa burned on a slice of ginger?
In traditional practice the ginger slice insulates the skin from the burning cone and is said to increase the warming effect. Garlic, salt in the navel and herbal cakes are used in similar ways for different traditional purposes.
Is ginger moxibustion safe at home?
Cones on ginger still burn hot and can blister the skin; trials were done by trained staff. Get instruction from a qualified practitioner before attempting it.
Sources for this page
- The Case for Moxibustion for Painful Syndromes: History; principles and rationale (PMC9491495). pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9491495/
- Moxibustion (Wikipedia). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moxibustion
- Moxibustion in Early Chinese Medicine (PMC5337347). pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5337347/
- Liu et al. Wrist-ankle acupuncture and ginger moxibustion for preventing gastrointestinal reactions to chemotherapy: A randomized controlled trial. Chin J Integr Med 2015. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25579196/
- Zhuang et al. Effect of ginger-partitioned moxibustion combined with ringheaded thumb-tack needle stimulation on gastrointestinal reactions of malignant tumor patients undergoing chemotherapy. Zhen Ci Yan Jiu 2024. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39020488/
- Tingting et al. Ginger-indirect moxibustion plus acupuncture versus acupuncture alone for chronic fatigue syndrome: a randomized controlled trial. J Tradit Chin Med 2022. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35473345/
- Liu et al. Effect of herb-partitioned moxibustion for primary dysmenorrhea: a randomized clinical trial. J Tradit Chin Med 2019. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32186047/
- Yuan et al. Indirect moxibustion for the treatment of allergic rhinitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Complement Ther Med 2022. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35041988/
- Jiang et al. Acupuncture and Moxibustion in the Treatment of Adult Diarrhea Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Network Meta-analysis. Comput Math Methods Med 2022. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35799631/
- Wang et al. Efficacy and safety of ginger-salt-indirect moxibustion for urge urinary incontinence after stroke: protocol for a pilot multicentre randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open 2014. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25335962/
- Safety of Moxibustion: A Systematic Review of Case Reports (PMC4058265). pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4058265/
- Chinese smokeless moxa sticks (Propos'Nature). www.propos-nature.com/en/products/moxas-chinois-sans-fumee
- How to Use Moxa Cones for Moxibustion (and Why) (AcuPrime). acuprime.com/moxa-cones-moxibustion/
Last reviewed: . Editorial note: this guide re-edits published sources; it does not provide medical advice or new research.
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