Consideration on development of the national standard: Pure Moxa Stick / 中国针灸

The paper gives a consideration on the development of the national standard, Pure Moxa Stick. It is proposed that the principle and requirements for the development of product standard should be adhered to, while focusing on the applicability and safety of pure moxa stick. In terms of quality, the specific requirements should be developed on the ratio of moxa floss, wrapping paper and adhesives. Regarding the specifications, either the market demands or the resource waste prevention should be considered. In safety, the combustion temperature and moxa smoke control are the key issues.

<b>Current Status of Moxa Manufacture in Japan </b> / 日本東洋医学雑誌

In Japan, moxa floss has long been produced by traditional methods. It has a high degree of purity and is incomparable to that in other countries. On the other hand, mugwort (leaves) are being imported from China now, and used to make the product sold in recent years. However details on this current situation have not been reported publicly.<br>Therefore we sent a questionnaire 14 major Japanese manufactures involved in the manufacturing, processing or domestic wholesale of moxa. The questions were both multiple choice and freely-written descriptive types, consisting of 29 items in 15 fields, about the current situation and problems faced in moxa manufacturing. The questionnaire was sent by return mail on 16 th November, 2011.<br>As a result, 12 out of 14 makers (85.7%) responded. Stocks wise, mugwort from Japan was 88 t, and import from China was 45 t. Moxa floss from Japan was 13 t, and import from China was 50 t. Manufacturing season started in late November and ended in late March. Stone mills, grain fans, and <i>nagatoshi </i>were used for manufacturing and many of these apparatus were made by craftsmen at their company. This survey enabled us to examine delivery and export systems for mugwort leaves and moxa floss, current moxa manufacturing and apparatus status, as well as problems and the future outlook for Japanese moxa floss makers.

Safety Concerns about the Application of Moxa / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Objective: To discuss the safety issues of moxibustion therapy in view of moxibustion materials. Methods: The analyses and assessment were performed based on the survey carried out on the use of moxa, modem and ancient records, modern studies, and clinical applications. Results:Moxa has been used as both a medicine and a food for a long history in China. Regarding moxibustion specifically, moxa has been proven to be the optimum choice for moxibustion therapy,through practices and experiments by doctors from different generations. No records have shown any side- or adverse-effects of moxa applied in moxibustion therapy. Conclusion: Moxa has been used in multiple ways for several thousands of years by Chinese people. As the main material for moxibustion therapy, its safety has been proven by documents and clinical practices.