[Startup mechanism of moxibustion warming and dredging function]

Area of Science:

• Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Acupuncture and Moxibustion
• Physiology

Background:

• Moxibustion is a therapeutic technique involving the burning of dried mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) at specific acupoints.
• The precise mechanisms underlying moxibustion's warming and dredging effects remain an area of active research.
• Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for optimizing its clinical application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To elucidate the startup mechanism of moxibustion's warming and dredging function.
• To analyze the role of warm stimulation in initiating moxibustion's therapeutic effects.
• To explore the pathways through which moxibustion exerts its effects on local tissues and systemic organs.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature review was conducted.
• Searched databases included PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang.
• The search focused on studies published between June 1, 1995, and June 1, 2016, using keywords such as 'moxibustion' and 'warm stimulation'.

Main Results:

• Moxibustion's primary mechanism involves a localized increase in acupoint temperature.
• This thermal stimulation activates specific local receptors, heat-sensitive immune cells, and heat shock proteins.
• These activated components initiate the warming and dredging function, producing localized physiological effects.

Conclusions:

• Moxibustion's warming and dredging function is initiated by local temperature elevation at acupoints.
• The generated warming stimulation signals trigger a cascade of local responses.
• These signals, transmitted via neural and humoral pathways, ultimately induce therapeutic effects on specific organs and body systems.