Moxa cones and stick-on moxa

Short answer: a moxa cone (also called a moxa pillar, 艾柱/艾炷 ai zhu) is moxa pressed into a small cone or cylinder that burns from the top down. It sits on the skin, on a protective base or on an acupuncture needle ^[1]. Stick-on moxa is a cone already mounted on an adhesive base so it stays on a point without touching the skin ^[1][2]. Both come in regular and smokeless (charcoal) versions ^[1][2].

What is a moxa cone?

Cones are compacted mugwort that sit stably while burning from the tip downward ^[1]. A supplier describes three ways cones are used ^[1]:

• On a base on the skin, such as a sticky pad (stick-on moxa) or a layer of salt.
• On the end of an acupuncture needle, alongside needling.
• Directly on lightly moistened skin in direct moxibustion, which is a practitioner technique.

The same source says cones can be left in place for the whole treatment, often burning for around 20 minutes, which frees the practitioner’s hands ^[1].

What are smokeless (charcoal) moxa cones?

Charcoal cones are pre-baked and hardened so that they produce little or no smoke when burned ^[1][3]. One supplier states that charcoal cones contain ingredients other than mugwort, naming herbs and clay, which allow them to be baked ^[1]. Product ingredients vary, so check the specification.

In a Korean smoke-chamber test of stick-on moxa, the smokeless cones produced a maximum smoke density of 3.4–5.5 Ds against 172.1–291.4 Ds for regular stick-on moxa. Smokeless cones still emitted carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides ^[2].

What is stick-on moxa, and can I use it without the sticky base?

Stick-on (adhesive indirect) moxa has a buffer layer that does not burn, which sits between the burning moxa and the skin ^[2]. The adhesive base:

1. holds the cone on the point, and
2. keeps the ember off the skin.

People ask whether they can carry on when they run out of bases ^[4]. Without a base or another buffer the cone would sit directly on the skin, which turns indirect moxa into direct moxa and raises the burn risk. Buy replacement bases from the supplier, and follow the product leaflet.

How many moxa cones per point? Do I let it burn out?

People new to cones often ask whether to use one cone or several, and whether to let each burn out ^[4]. The sources do not give a universal number. It is a clinical decision made by the person treating you, and it varies with the method and the cone. What sources do agree on:

• Remove a cone when it becomes too hot; do not wait for pain ^[5].
• Never leave a burning cone unattended ^[6][7].
• People who cannot feel heat well, including children and anyone with reduced sensation, are at higher risk of burns ^[8].
• One forum user with asthma stopped adding cones because of the smoke and noticed staining on the skin around the point ^[4]. Smokeless cones reduce smoke but not heat.

Arabic: الموكسا اللاصقة

Arabic searchers often ask “ما هي الموكسا اللاصقة؟”, meaning “what is stick-on moxa?” ^[9]. It is the same product described above: a small moxa cone on an adhesive base. See the Arabic version of this page.

Related pages

• How to use smokeless moxa sticks
• Risks and side effects
• For buyers: Stick-on moxa wholesale checklist · Carbonized moxa cone 18×27 mm

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