Moxa

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈmɒksə/

Definitions

1. A traditional healing practice that involves igniting a medicinal herb and applying its warmth to target points on the body
2. An alternative therapeutic approach where a dried plant is burned to generate heat, which is then applied to enhance health effects
3. A method of therapy that involves the burning of a specific herb to produce heat for stimulating acupuncture points on the body for wellness benefits

Etymology: Moxa is a Japanese word in origin, but the English form is shaped by a Dutch physician's book. In Japanese, the herb is "mogusa" (mugwort), and the name comes from the same plant used for the treatment. Because the "u" is barely pronounced in Japanese speech, it dropped out, and the "g" softened into the "k" sound that English speakers now hear. The result is a word that kept its Japanese sound in a shortened form. The earliest known European account came from Hermann Buschoff, a Dutch minister working in Batavia (now Jakarta), who wrote the first book on the remedy in 1674. Europeans encountered moxibustion through trade and colonial contact in East Asia, and his book introduced the practice, and the word, to a Western readership.