Moxibustion Key Points — Mugwort Fire
Moxibustion Key Points — Mugwort Fire is a Chinese / Moxibustion — warming point practice body system as transmitted through the lineage Moxibustion uses heated moxa (Artemisia) in therapeutic procedures within East Asian medical lineages. Canonical medical texts establish cautery as a treatment modality, while later Chinese and Japanese manuals develop practical point selections and warming protocols.. This page lists every point in the system with sourced placements and links to cross-tradition correspondences curated for The Body Spiritual.
Open in interactive explorerPrimary sources
- Huangdi Neijing · Lingshu (transl. Unschuld, California UP 2016) — Ch. 75 (Jiu zhen shi er yuan) discusses cautery and needling indications; the wider Lingshu corpus is the canonical medical context for point therapy, while exact modern moxa point sets vary.
- Moxibustion: The Power of Mugwort Fire (transl. / Japanese clinical tradition, 20th c. manual) — Japanese moxibustion manuals describe practical moxa placement, warming methods, and point selection; used for technique context.
Known lineage variants
- Point names and indications differ among Chinese, Japanese, and modern clinical schools. Several important points are posterior; their front-view positions are explicitly editorial projections with widened uncertainty.
Related systems
No other systems share this tradition label.
Points
- Bǎihuì GV20 — crown meeting — vertex point
- Dàzhuī GV14 — great vertebra — cervical-thoracic junction
- Shénzhù GV12 — spirit pillar — upper thoracic warming
- Zhōngwǎn CV12 — middle cavity — epigastric centre
- Qìhǎi CV6 — sea of qi — below-umbilical reservoir
- Guānyuán CV4 — origin gate — lower abdominal root
- Shènshū BL23 — kidney shu — lumbar kidney region
- Mìngmén GV4 — life gate — lumbar midline
- Shénquè CV8 — spirit gate — umbilicus
- Zúsānlǐ ST36 — leg three li — below knee, stomach channel
Frequently asked
What is Bǎihuì GV20 — crown meeting?
Bǎihuì is the vertex point used in acupuncture and moxibustion lineages for raising and gathering yang. Its crown coordinate follows the recognised surface point location, while the diagram does not assert a measurable energy field.
What is Dàzhuī GV14 — great vertebra?
Dàzhuī lies at the lower neck / upper back junction and is widely used in warming and exterior-relieving moxa protocols. The front-view coordinate is a silhouette projection of a posterior point, so uncertainty is widened.
What is Shénzhù GV12 — spirit pillar?
Shénzhù is a Governor Vessel point on the upper thoracic back, traditionally included in warming approaches. This front-view marker is a projected back coordinate and should not be read as a front anatomical point.
What is Zhōngwǎn CV12 — middle cavity?
Zhōngwǎn is the midline point between sternum and umbilicus and is commonly warmed in digestive-support protocols. Its placement is a surface reference for the conceptual middle burner, not a claim about internal organ boundaries.
What is Qìhǎi CV6 — sea of qi?
Qìhǎi is a lower midline point used in warming and deficiency-oriented moxa practice. The “sea” language is a traditional functional metaphor; the point is not a literal reservoir of qi.
What is Guānyuán CV4 — origin gate?
Guānyuán is a lower midline point associated with constitutional support and warming in moxa traditions. It is shown as a central lower-abdominal focus, while claims about vitality remain tradition-specific.
What is Shènshū BL23 — kidney shu?
Shènshū is a Bladder-channel back-shu point beside the second lumbar vertebra and is a classic warming target in kidney-yang moxa protocols. The front-view projection is editorial because the canonical location is posterior.
What is Mìngmén GV4 — life gate?
Mìngmén lies on the lumbar Governor Vessel and is a major focus in warming practices. Its front silhouette position is a posterior projection; it does not indicate a front abdominal structure.
What is Shénquè CV8 — spirit gate?
Shénquè is the umbilicus and is traditionally approached with indirect moxa rather than direct needling. The point is anatomically identifiable at the navel, but indications and safety constraints are lineage- and protocol-dependent.
What is Zúsānlǐ ST36 — leg three li?
Zúsānlǐ is below the knee on the Stomach channel and is a frequently cited moxa point for digestive and resilience-oriented protocols. The lower-leg coordinate is approximate in the body silhouette and does not encode a guaranteed clinical effect.