Volume 1, Special Edition | Current Japanese Acupuncture and Moxibustion 2010

Manufacturing Process and Characteristicsof Classical Moxa
<Moxa raw materials> Moxa is made from the leaf ofthe mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), using the dense
white hairs on the bottom side of the leaf. Althoughmugwort is common throughout Japan, the plants thatgrow in areas of high snowfall are considered to provide
the best-quality raw material for moxa. The areas
around the Ibuki mountain range in Shiga Prefecture
and in the mountains of Toyama and Niigata in westernJapan produce particularly large mugwort leaves withoptimal characteristics for moxa production. Large
leaves mean fewer stems, which in turn reduces theamount of stem impurities introduced during theprocess of separating the fine hairs from the back ofeach leaf. This improves the yield rate and decreases
production costs.
<Harvesting mugwort> Mugwort leaves are gathered<Grinding> Grindstones are used to separate thefrom mid-May until early August. The harvested leaves

impurities from the fine hairs that will be used in theare pulled from the stems and spread on a straw mat ormoxa. This process uses three different types ofother surface to dry naturally in the sun for 5 days.

grindstone, which differ by the number and depth ofDuring this time, the leaves are carefully turned once orgrooves in the stones, and by the weight of the upper

twice daily (a process termed "reversing heaven andstone. Grindstones 1, 2, and 3 are used in grindingearth") to ensure uniform drying. The dried mugwort isdirect moxibustion, Grindstones 1 and No. 2 are used

stored until the beginning of winter in the mountains,when the air becomes dryer than during the hot, humid
summer months.
<Drying by heating> Moxa production is begun in late

for applications in which moxa is burned on the headof

aninserted

acupunctureneedle,andonly

Grindstone 1 is used for indirect moxibustion.

At that point, the sun-dried mugwort is

The grindstones are constructed in pairs, with one

dried by heating to remove any remaining water. If theupper stone and one lower stone. The upper stone

leaves are not adequately dried, it is very difficult toturns, the lower stone is fixed in position, and theseparate impurities from the moxa later in themugwort is introduced through a hole in the upperproduction process, and the resulting moxa will not be ofstone. The stone used in grindstones for moxa

high quality. This is why moxa is manufactured during

production should be neither hard and fine-grained orNovember.

the winter, when the humidity is low and better drying
can be achieved. We use special drying rooms heatedwith natural gas, and blowers to disperse the hot dry air
throughout the room. For moxa that will be used directly

soft and coarse-grained; the best stone is hard andcoarse-grained. Fine-grained hard stone produces
moxa fibers that are too finely powdered and will noton the skin (direct moxibustion), the leaves are dried for

stick together, while rough-grained soft stone yields

about 20 hours. For applications in which a thin sheet ofpoorly cut fibers and coarse, uneven moxa. For well-cut

paper or similar substance is placed on the skin and themugwort, with minimal damage to the fine hairs frommoxa is then positioned on that sheet (indirect

the leaves, the best grindstones are made frommoxibustion), the leaves are dried for about 12 hours.

volcanic rock.

The Journal of Kampo, Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine (KAIM)

65

Volume 1, Special Edition | Current Japanese Acupuncture and Moxibustion 2010

<Tohmi Winnower> The coarse moxa that was obtained
from the Nagadoshi is further purified by filtering
through a Tohmi in order to produce high-grade point
acupuncture moxa. This device works much like theNagadoshi, turning and mixing the coarse moxa toseparate impurities, except that instead of a turning
cylinder, the Tohmi is equipped with large revolving
plates that turn within an unmoving bamboo cylinder.
Coarse moxa is poured in through an opening at the topof the device. The rotating plates mix the contents of thecylinder, so that the impurities fly out through the<Nagadoshi> At the end of the grinding process thedried leaves have been reduced to powder. However,impurities such as leaf and stem pieces remain. Themoxa is separated from the impurities by sieving
through a device called the "nagadoshi". Within thisdevice is a cylinder made from a bamboo screen,
similar to the screens used to make sushi rolls, butlarger. The powdered mugwort is turned and mixed
within that cylinder, and then passes through a sieve.
The bamboo screen is set at an angle, with thepowdered mugwort introduced through the top of thecylinder. As the cylinder turns, the powdered
impurities are gradually thrown out through thespaces between the bamboo screens, leaving only moxaby the time the product reaches the exit point at thebottom. The yield rate for coarse moxa at this point is10-15% in comparison to the dried leaves. The moxa is
now suitable for use in indirect moxibustion andacupuncture needle head applications.

bamboo screen, and only purified high-quality moxa
remains within the Tohmi. The time required for thiswinnowing process depends on the quality of thedesired product: about 6 hours for direct moxibustion,
and about 12 hours for the highest-grade directmoxibustion.

Theyieldrate

atthisstage

isapproximately 4% of the original dried leaf.

<Regulating quality> The finished moxa may differ inquality depending on the weather conditions at thetime of production, so sorting and blending are
performed to insure uniform quality before the productis shipped. Moxa manufacturing is concluded by theend of March, when winter is drawing to a close in themountains.
(Contents and photos provided by Yamasho Co., Ltd.)66

The Journal of Kampo, Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine (KAIM)