Moxa plugs, Japan, 1980-1990

Box of skewered paper-wrapped moxa plugs, for attaching to needle heads and burning during Moxa Head Needling therapy, from the surgery of a British practitioner c.1996, manufactured by Sennendo Inc, Japanese, 1980-1990.

This box of moxa plugs was used during a therapy described as Moxa Head Needling. Moxa or Artemisia vulgaris is a plant. Once dried, it can be burnt in a treatment known as moxibustion. The paper-wrapped moxa plugs were skewered onto needle heads and burnt near the skin during Moxa Head Needling. TCM believes moxibustion stimulates the flow of the life force known as qi (chi) around the body. Qi is considered essential for wellbeing and health. They were manufactured in Japan in the 1980s. They were acquired through the surgery of a British Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner during the 1990s.