Moxibustion is a long cylindrical roll made of moxa wrapped in cotton paper, which is mainly used for moxibustion. The moxa stick in Dongting is the best, with thick and fluffy leaves, which is the first-class raw material for making Ai Jinrong in past dynasties. Dongting has a superior geographical location and is known as the "land of plenty". The climate is humid, the wormwood is dense and full of vitality. The superior moxa stick made of it is most suitable for moxibustion, which has won the trust of imperial doctors in history and is widely used in the court.

Making moxa sticks must be prepared in advance. Ai Chen leaves should be dried repeatedly, screened clean, and impurities removed to make them soft and delicate as cotton, so that they can be used. There are two kinds of moxa sticks. The above method is coarse moxa sticks, which can get six or seven taels per catty, which is suitable for general moxibustion. If it is finely processed, after dozens of insolations and dozens of screenings, only two or three taels per catty will become khaki, which is a fine moxa stick and can be directly used for moxibustion. The finished product of organic moxa is also the raw material of inkpad.

Moxibustion is one of the oldest medical technologies in China, which belongs to the external treatment of traditional Chinese medicine. It originated in ancient times, formed on the anniversary of Shang Dynasty and lasted for thousands of years. Moxibustion is the essence of China culture, which can be traced back thousands of years. Moxibustion was once the secret of the emperor's health. After spreading to the people, it has become the most important folk cure and a valuable cultural heritage of China.

Identification of moxa sticks:

1. Observe the appearance: first observe the appearance of the moxa stick. High-quality moxa sticks are generally cylindrical, with a smooth surface without too many impurities and debris. If the surface of the moxa stick is rough or broken, it may be inferior.

2. Check the packaging: check whether the packaging of moxa sticks is tight and standardized. The moxa sticks produced by regular manufacturers are usually well packaged, legible and marked with production date, shelf life and manufacturer information. If the packaging is damaged or illegible, it may be a fake.

3. Smell: A high-quality moxa stick should have a strong Ai Xiang. If the moxa stick has a pungent smell or almost no smell, it may be made of chemicals or inferior materials.

4. Check the burning situation: observe the burning situation after the moxa stick is ignited. High-quality moxa sticks have stable flame, light blue color and moderate smoke smell; When inferior moxa sticks burn, the flame is unstable, the smoke is strong and even suffocating. In addition, we can observe the ashes after burning moxa sticks. The ash of high-quality moxa sticks should be gray-white, and the ash of inferior moxa sticks may be black or other colors.

5. Observe the texture of the moxa stick: after peeling the moxa stick, observe the texture of the moxa stick inside. High-quality moxa should be light yellow, soft, delicate and uniform; Inferior moxa may be dark yellow or yellowish brown with rough texture.

The above contents refer to Baidu Encyclopedia-moxa sticks.