For anyone who loves moxibustion, whether you are a beginner who has just started to contact moxibustion or an enthusiast who has persisted for a long time, you must have had the experience of being troubled by the quality of moxa sticks. A good moxa stick can make the moxibustion effect multiply with half the effort, while an inferior moxa stick not only has no health benefits, but may also irritate the respiratory tract and skin, bringing hidden health dangers. So, how to accurately distinguish high-quality moxa sticks from inferior ones? Let’s take a deep dive into the 5 key identification methods, so that you can buy with confidence.
The first and most fundamental point is to look at the raw material of the moxa stick——the age of mugwort. High-quality moxa sticks are definitely made of aged mugwort, and the industry generally believes that mugwort with a storage period of more than 3 years is the best. Why is aged mugwort so important? Because fresh mugwort contains a lot of volatile oil and impurities, the heat is violent when burned, which is easy to cause local skin redness, swelling and tingling, and the irritation to the respiratory tract is also strong. After years of storage, the impure components in aged mugwort will gradually volatilize, the heat will become gentle and lasting, and the medicinal properties will be more concentrated, which can penetrate into the meridians better and play a health-preserving role. When purchasing, don’t be fooled by the “fresh mugwort is better” propaganda of some merchants. You should take the initiative to ask for the storage time of mugwort, and if possible, ask for relevant inspection certificates. For some well-known brands, they will clearly mark the mugwort age on the packaging, which is more reliable.
The second method is to observe the appearance of the moxa stick carefully, which is the most intuitive way to distinguish. High-quality moxa sticks have strict requirements on the production process, so their appearance is neat and uniform. The diameter is consistent from top to bottom, the wrapping paper is tight and not loose, and there will be no wrinkles or bulges. The color of the moxa inside is mostly grayish-yellow or khaki, which is the natural color formed after long-term storage of mugwort. When you pinch it with your fingers, you can feel its compact texture, and it will not deform easily even if you exert a little force. On the contrary, inferior moxa sticks are often shoddy in production. The wrapping paper is loose, the thickness is uneven, and the color of the moxa is dark brown or even black. If you break it open, you can often see obvious straw, sawdust and other impurities. Some illegal merchants will also dye the moxa to pretend to be aged mugwort. At this time, you can rub a little moxa with your fingers. If the color fades, it is definitely a problematic product.
The third trick is to smell the fragrance, which can help us judge the purity of the moxa stick. High-quality moxa sticks made of pure aged mugwort will emit a faint, natural and fresh mugwort fragrance, which makes people feel comfortable after smelling it. This fragrance is the unique smell of mugwort’s medicinal components, and it will not be pungent. If you smell a strong smoky smell, chemical smell or even musty smell when you get the moxa stick, you must be careful. This kind of moxa stick is either mixed with a lot of impurities, or added with chemical additives to cover up the inferior quality, or the mugwort itself has become moldy and deteriorated. Especially for people with sensitive noses, such moxa sticks will cause sneezing and coughing as soon as they are opened, so they must be avoided.
The fourth method is to test the burning performance, which is the “touchstone” to verify the quality of the moxa stick. After lighting the moxa stick, the burning state of high-quality products is very stable, without obvious sparks splashing, and the burning speed is moderate. The heat emitted is gentle and even, which can slowly penetrate into the skin, making people feel warm but not scalding. The smoke is light and has no obvious pungent smell. Inferior moxa sticks are completely different. They either burn very fast, as if they are “burning a firecracker”, or they are easy to go out and need to be relit repeatedly. The heat is very uneven, sometimes hot and sometimes cold, and the smoke is thick and acrid, which makes people’s eyes and nose uncomfortable. Some inferior moxa sticks even emit black smoke when burned, which is a sign of serious impurities.
Finally, observe the ash after burning, which is the “final testimony” of the quality of the moxa stick. After the high-quality moxa stick is burned, the ash is white or light gray, and the texture is very compact, which can be formed into a ball when pinched, and will not scatter easily. This is because the pure moxa has uniform combustion and sufficient combustion, so the ash is relatively solid. The ash of inferior moxa sticks is mostly black or dark gray, loose and fluffy, and will fall off as soon as it is blown, and there may even be unburned impurities in the ash. This is because the impurities in the inferior moxa stick cannot be fully burned, resulting in uneven ash quality.
In addition to these 5 methods, there is also a small trick for everyone: choose regular channels to buy. Some small stalls or unknown online stores often sell inferior moxa sticks at low prices to attract customers. Although the price is cheap, the cost is your health. It is recommended to choose brands with good reputation and complete qualification certificates, or buy them in professional traditional Chinese medicine pharmacies. Although the price of high-quality moxa sticks is slightly higher, their medicinal effects and safety are more guaranteed.
Choosing a good moxa stick is the first step in a healthy moxibustion journey. Master these practical identification methods, and you can easily avoid the traps of inferior moxa sticks, let the warm heat of high-quality moxa sticks nourish your body, and enjoy the health benefits brought by traditional Chinese medicine wisdom.
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