Moxibustion is one of treatment in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) which has long history in China. It is a method of treating disease with the help of heat of fire and the effects of medicine to burn and warm the acupoints and lesion areas. Moxibustion is easy to learn and use, and also has significant therapeutic effects. Nowadays, it has became a fashionable way of health care.But do you know the origin and development of moxibustion in Chinese history?

In the prehistory times, people had discovered that burning specific parts of body with fire could relieve pain and feel more comfortable, so they began to try to treat diseases by burning with fire. As time went by, this method has gradually improved its own theory and system, and then evolved into moxibustion we use today.

There are many records of moxibustion treatment in Chinese ancient literature.Moxibustion has been mentioned in Zuo Zhuan(Legend of Spring and Autumn Century by Zuo Qiuming) which was the earliest of moxibustion treatment in Chinese ancient literature.

More records about moxibustion have been mentioned in Chinese medicine classic HuangdiNeijing. The Suwen further describes the moxibustion indications, non-indication of moxibustion, sequence, dosage, tonification and purgation of moxibustion. Further more, the Moxibustion Classic of the Eleven Meridians of the Foot and Arm and the Moxibustion Classic of the Eleven Meridians of Yin and Yang, which were written during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, are the earliest existing monographs on moxibustion in the world.

All these can show that moxibustion had been used in treatment in ancient China as early as  the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

In the Tang Dynasty, moxibustion therapy had development into an independent discipline. Moxibustion was not only used for treating, but also use for health care during this time. The Tang Dynasty medical work "Wai Tai Mi Yao(Medical Secrets of an Official)" has a specific chapter dedicated to moxibustion.There were even doctors who providing disease treatment and health care that specialized in moxibustion in the Tang Dynasty.

In the Song Dynasty, moxibustion became popular among the people quickly due to the government's attention and promotion.

In the Ming Dynasty, the development of moxibustion reached its climax, and it gradually changed from moxa cone moxibustion to the moxa stick moxibustion like we using today, while monographs on moxibustion care and moxa-syncope treatment appeared After a lot of clinical experience. Moxibustion health care had also received more attention in Ming Dynasty.

Now, moxibustion is being accepted and applied by more and more people due to its simple operation and significant curative effect,the invention of moxibustion tools also enables people to perform it at home by themselves. With the continuous development of the Internet and international trade, moxibustion has gradually spread to other countries and gradually become an emerging beauty and health care method.