05 Stomach maintenance using the moxibustion technique
Moxibustion has the function of warming yang-energy, which is most suitable for nourishing the spleen.
Anyone with spleen deficiency may apply moxibustion at the taibai acupoint which is the original point of the spleen meridian.
The spleen meridian is the most active from nine to eleven, so moxibustion works better during this time.
The spleen is clear and the stomach is turbid. The two are the cardinal mechanisms for the ascending and descending of energy flow. Therefore, the ascending mechanism of the spleen and the descending mechanism of the stomach should be nourished at the same time. This can be accomplished by acupuncture or moxibustion on the stomach meridian at the zusanli acupoint.
The spleen should be taken care of especially in summer. Moxibustion is most used in the summer of small heat and severe heat to strengthen the spleen and eliminate dampness.
Navel, also called the shenque acupoint, is the place where the umbilical cord is connected. It is an important acupoint on the ren meridian of the human body.
When the fetus is in the mother’s body, it depends on the umbilical cord to get nutrition, just like the melon pedicle, which is the only way to get nutrition.
We can also understand that it is the key point connecting the innate and acquired nature of the human body. The so-called shenque refers to the place where the primordial spirit enters and exits and lives, and its status is extremely dignified.
In fact, in the human body, the shenque acupoint is also the portal for the communication between the heart and the kidneys. The heart stores the spirit, and the kidney stores the will. They are the gods of the five internal organs that cannot be underestimated. The heart belongs to fire, and the kidney belongs to water. If water and fire cannot be coordinated, it will cause an imbalance of yin and yang, leading to various illnesses one after another.
The shenque acupoint on the navel is the core of the abdomen, and it has a good conditioning effect on illnesses that occur in the abdomen, such as wugeng diarrhea, chronic diarrhea, and post-urinary retention.
Weakness of the spleen and stomach of most people is mostly due to a deficiency of spleen yang-energy. Applying moxibustion is one of the best ways to raise the yang-energy. Thus regulating spleen-yang deficiency can be achieved by moxibustion the shenque acupoint, that is, the navel.
01 Taoist secret technique for moxibustion the navel
First, make a paste. Smash together one piece of longan meat, six or seven prickly ash, and one piece of moxa, making a paste out of it.
When you sleep at night, pick a little bit of the paste, the size of a small fingernail, put it on the navel, and then fix it with medical tape.
If you do not like to prepare the mess, you may replace it with aromatic substances such as evodia, ageratum, and perrin (in powder form).
Of course, you may purchase the ready-made plaster and apply it as directed.
People with weak spleen and stomach generally have impaired damp-removal function. Then you should try to remove the dampness in your body first.
If the spleen and stomach are generally weak, you may use winter melon, barley and other water-reducing and dehumidifying foods to remove the dampness, as discussed elsewhere.
For those people with severe spleen and stomach deficiency, the best way is not to use the foods, but to use aromatic substances such as huoxiang to remove dampness in the body.
02 Direct moxibustion on the navel (shenque acupoint)
You may purchase ready-made moxa sticks, hang them above the navel, and apply moxibustion to it.
The advantage of hanging moxibustion is that it is full of heat and can give full play to the efficacy of the moxa sticks. The disadvantage is that you are playing with open fire, and it is easy to be scalded accidentally and leave scars on the skin. Be cautious and know what you are doing.
If you feel that applying moxibustion is not your cup of tea, there is another way. When you have nothing to do, or when you are watching TV, or when you are bored in the car, you may try to press the shenque acupoint with your fingers.
The effect may not be as good as moxibustion, but it will still help you if you do it for a long time. It would be nice to do too.
03 Moxibustion at the zhongwan acupoint
Apply moxibustion at the zhongwan acupoint with moxa sticks for ten to fifteen minutes, or with moxa jars for twenty to thirty minutes.
The zhongwan acupoint is located on the midline of the abdomen, four inches above the navel, equivalent to the width of five fingers. The zhongwan acupoint has the functions of regulating the stomach, invigorating qi, dispelling dampness, neutralizing, lowering adverse flow and relieving vomiting. Moxibustion can improve stomach illnesses.
04 Moxibustion at the zusanli acupoint
The zusanli acupoint is the big and important acupoint on the stomach meridian. The zusanli acupoint is about one-finger width below the outer knee, on the outer side of the tibia.
Apply moxibustion with moxa sticks for ten to fifteen minutes or with moxa pot for twenty to thirty minutes.
Moxibustion is often used in this way. It has the effects of nourishing the spleen and stomach, strengthening the body and nourishing vitality, reconciling qi and blood, eliminating pathogenic factors and preventing illnesses.
05 Moxibustion in general
Moxibustion is very simple. First, you purchase moxa sticks from the Chinese drug stores or Chinese supermarkets with a drug counter. You may also use our buying service. A moxa stick is made from leaves of traditional herbal medicine.
You may imagine the moxa sticks as cigarettes. When you are ready to do moxibustion, you light up a moxa stick just like you light up a cigarette. Then you hover the lighted moxa stick over the acupoint that you want to apply the moxibustion technique.
In general, you may want to apply moxibustion to the dai meridian. You hold the lighted moxa stick over the dai meridian for ten to twenty minutes. With the help of heat and the stimulation of herbs from the moxa stick, it can activate blood circulation and ventilate vital energy circulation to remove dampness from the body.
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