Moxa Topicals

Moxa topicals usually come in the form of balms, oils and patches. Which one is the most effective depends on your treatment and we recommend you give them all a try before making a decision. Luckily moxa products are very affordable when compared to other herbal products like CBD.

Moxa Balms

OSMoxa balm packaging

Generic moxa balm packaging

The most popular brands for moxa balms are known as OSMoxa and SLMoxa Balm. It has a strong but pleasing scent when applied. Balms come in a variety of colors ranging from brown, green and purple. We've tested a wide variety of branded and generic moxa balms and found brown colored balms to be most effective. Manufacturers tend to add color to their products for marketing purposes.

The active ingredients found in balms are moxa extract and a proprietary blend of herbs for enhanced therapeutic performance. You can apply this cream during acupuncture or by itself. Most patients use a TDP or Infrared lamp to activate the moxa by heat. Moxa balms do not cause allergic radiation or adverse affect.

Moxa Oils

Moxa essence oil is fast absorbing and effective against general pain.

Beyond balms, moxa oils are provide faster absorption rate due to their liquid state. When applied to the skin, moxa oils will sink into the skin within seconds and leave a minor brown residue on the skin. This residue can be easily washed using warm water and soap. We don't recommend washing this residue immediately as it's necessary for moxa to continue to work into the skin and provide much needed pain relief.

The product above is one of the most popular moxa oils on the market. It's sold over the counter in pharmacies in Taiwan and South East Asia. The main benefits of this essence oil is pain relief from shoulder, neck and joints.

After applying a drop to the affected area, use the palm of your hand to gently rub the area. Once a warming sensation is felt, the moxa has been "heat activated". Patients generally feel the benefits of the oil within minutes.

This product is easy to use and is a recommended addition to any household first aid kit.

Moxa Patches

Moxa herbal patches are individually wrapped and air activated upon opening.

Moxa patches are a great solution to moxa therapy without having to work with messy balms or oils. These do create a bit more carbon footprint as they are one-time-use however, we feel that the benefits do outweigh the shortfalls. These patches are air-activated through oxidation meaning you won't need to rub against it or use electricity to heat the patches. Once the package has been torn, the patch will immediately begin to heat and stay heated for up to 10 hours (as advertised by the manufacturer). Although our real life testing gave a result closer to 6 hours, the patches are very affordable at retail prices and 6 hours came close to an entire work day.

In fact, patients with sciatica received the most benefit from these patches. After testing on more than 10 subjects of ages ranging 27-50 with chronic pain in their lower back, 7 of the subjects reported significantly less pain as they moved about their day with these patches applied on their lower back. All subjects reported a desirable warming sensation during testing.