Differences Between Moxa Punk And Smokeless Moxa Cones During Warm Needling: A Comparative Study

This article compares the capacity of moxa punk (MP) and smokeless moxa (SM) to transfer heat to the end of an acupuncture needle during warm needling (WN). Two forms of moxa of equivalent weight were compared: the Ondan SM cone and Japanese MP rolled into a ball (12 of each type). The moxa was positioned on the handle of two types of filiform needles (40mm x 0.3mm and 40mm x 0.25mm) and the temperature measured at the needle tip. The key findings were that SM produced 10 per cent more energy than MP, but that MP produced a 41 per cent greater and more rapid temperature increase than SM cones. Conversely, SM maintained maximum temperature four times longer than MP. It is suggested that the temperature characteristics of MP during WN correlate with the Chinese medicine treatment method of dispersing, while those of SM correlate to tonification. The lack of studies addressing the therapeutic effects of these different temperature characteristics, as well as the unknown temperature characteristics of WN using acupuncture needles in-vivo, prevents further conclusions being drawn.