By applying moxibustion to certain points, blood flow to reproductive organs increases. It has been used to regulate menstrual cycle and fertility hormones, making it a good way to treat infertility.

In clinic, we often see patients only can attend treatment once a week either because of work or just because of budget, so we suggest them trying moxibustion at home. The DIY method beneath suits those who fall into the category of Yang Qi deficiency, it can be spleen deficiency, kidney deficiency, or both. Clinical symptoms may include aversion to cold, cold hands and feet, tiredness/lethargy, puffiness or overweight, low libido, low back ache, etc. We would suggest you consulting your practitioner first to see if you fit into this category.

Chosen points: Shen Que (RN8), Qi Hai (RN6), San Yin Jiao (SP6), Guan Yuan (RN4), Zhong Ji (RN3), Shen Shu (BL23), Zu San Li (ST36)

Choose 2-4 points among those, apply moxa over each one for about 5 minutes, or till the skin becomes slight pink and you feel nicely warm, use once every day.

Dang Gui Sheng Jiang Yang Rou Tang is a prescription originally recorded in Jin Gui Yao Lue (Synopsis of Golden Chamber).

Ingredients: Dang Gui 10g, Sheng Jiang (fresh ginger) 20g, lamb 500g, rice wine 50g, salt 5g, spring onion 10g

1. Trim the lamb of any fat and sinew, cut it into bite-sized pieces, and rinse them. Blanch the lamb in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then refresh in the cold water and rinse clean.
2. Clean and prepare other ingredients, ginger in slice, spring onion cut into short length.
3. Place lamb pieces into a pot or casserole, add ginger, spring onion, Dang Gui and rice wine. Bring to boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about 2 hours.
4. Remove Dang Gui, add salt, and serve. Eat lamb and drink the soup.

Tips:

1. Dang Gui can be put into a piece of cloth so it can be easily removed before serving.
2. Some vegetables, such as carrots, can be added according to personal preference.
3. Don’t have food with cold character at the same time, for example watermelon or cucumber. Otherwise, the warming function of lamb will be compromised.
4. The soup doesn’t need to be finished at one go, it can be served for 2-3 times.

The function of Dang Gui Sheng Jiang Yang Rou Tang is to warm yang, expel cold, tonify qi and blood, relieve pain. Therefore, it applies to various problems. Bear in mind, the key diagnosis is deficiency and coldness. For those who have heat, damp-heat inside, it doesn’t apply at all.

Houxi

Location: on the ulnar border of the hand, in the substantial depression proximal to the head of the fifth metacarpal bone. It is easier to locate when the hand is made into a loose fist.

Houxi is closed related to Du Channel, therefore it has a significant influence on the spine as a whole, and it is a frequently used point when it comes to pain or stiffness of neck, upper spine and lower back.

In practice, it has been found extremely useful in treating acute lumbar sprain. Swift improvement can be felt right away. For professionals, it is easy to use needles, but would like to recommend it for DIY acupressure. Find the point with a loose fist, then press forceful the tip of the thumb of another hand, or knead while pressing. It also applies to non-specific lower back pain.

For neck problems, the easiest way of DIY is to roll the point along the edge of a table. About a minute at a time, and can be repeated when necessary.

From western perspective, cough is just a symptom, which can be caused by many reasons, such as virus, bacterial, allergies, etc. In Chinese medicine, cough is seen as a disorder of lung qi failing to descend and disperse throughout the body, resulting in qi rising up rebelliously. There are five patterns: wind-cold, wind-heat, wind-dryness, phlegm, deficiency.

According to experience, soaking feet in ai ye, a natural Chinese herb, is very effective to wind-cold and phlegm patterns.

Wind-cold pattern: When external pathogenic factors attack the body via nose and skin, lung qi becomes obstructed, lung function impaired, cough occurs.

Phlegm pattern: Child’s spleen is delicate, and easily affected by food and drink. Consequently spleen is unable to transform food and drink, thus phlegm generated. Then phlegm rise up into the lung, obstructing its function, cough occurs.

In Chinese medicine theory, ai ye (also known as Mugwort Leaf, Folium artemisiae argyi, Artemisia argyi Levl. et Vant), is warm in property, and is associated with spleen, liver and kidney meridians. Its main functions are to warm the meridians and stop bleeding, to dispel cold and warm channels, and to calm fetus. In this case, ai ye is used to warm meridians and promote the circulation of qi and blood. Feet are the places where many acu-points locate and foot-channels connect. When qi is regulated, lung function becomes normal, cough alleviated.

How to do it?

Boil 500-1500ml (details see below) water first, put 5-50g ai ye in, boil for another 15min, remove ai ye leaves, pour liquid into a basin/washbowl.

Steam heat your feet by putting them on edge of bowl while water is still hot. You may cover feet with a towel (a bit bigger than the bowl) to prevent steam from evaporate quickly.

Soak feet in water when water temperate is desirable.

Soak for 10-15min, once every night, preferably before going to bed. Cough can be alleviated in 3-5 days.

Dosage for reference:

Younger than 3 years: 10g ai ye + 500ml boiling water

3-7 years: 20-30g ai ye + 1000ml boiling water

Older than 7 years: 30-50 ai ye + 1500ml boiling water

PS: ai ye is not suitable to yin deficiency and heat-in-blood pattern.