Study of Thermal Behavior of Moxa Floss Using Thermogravimetric and Pyrolysis-GC/MS Analyses

Moxa floss is a type of biomass used as the main combustion material in moxibustion, a therapy that applies heat from moxa floss combustion to points or body areas for treatment. Safety concerns regarding moxa smoke have been raised in recent years. Since moxa floss is the source material in moxibustion, its thermal behavior and pyrolysis products would be related to the products formed in moxa smoke. This work aims to understand the thermal behavior of moxa floss and investigate the pyrolysis products generated from moxa floss combustion. Six commercial moxa floss samples of 3 storage years and 10 storage years, and of low, medium, and high ratios, were selected. The kinetic data from moxa floss combustion was carried out by a thermogravimetric analyzer. Pyrolysis-gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy using a gas chromatograph and mass spectrometer equipped with a pyroprobe were used to examine the pyrolysis products. Thermogravimetric profiles for all the samples were overall similar and showed a monotonic weight decrease. The range of intensive reaction temperature occurred between 150°C and 450°C, which was characterized by a major weight loss and accompanied by an exothermal degradation of the main components. The average ignition temperature for the samples of 3 and 10 storage years was 218.3°C and 222.6°C, respectively, which was lower than most herbaceous plants. The identified pyrolysis products include monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, ketones, acids, and alkanes. All were of relatively low intensities of below 5% in relative abundance. No volatiles were detected in the samples of 10 storage years. The relatively low values of ignition temperature suggested that moxa floss is more combustible and can be ignited more easily than other herbaceous plants. This may explain why moxa floss has remained as the preferred material used for moxibustion over the years.

Mechanism of Moxa Combustion Products Processed Under Different Conditions on Regulating Vascular Endothelial Function in Atherosclerotic Mice

BackgroundAtherosclerosis (AS) is a kind of chronic progressive inflammatory disease, moxibustion is an increasingly popular alternative therapy that reduces the risk of AS by regulating blood lipid levels. Although moxibustion for AS is yet to be conducted, its underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the anti-atherogenic effect of moxa combustion products processed under different conditions (moxa smoke, filtered moxa smoke, volatile components of moxa floss and essential oil of Artemisia Argyi). MethodsThe mice in all groups were regularly grabbed and fixed. The mice in moxa smoke group were exposed to 2% concentration of moxa smoke, the mice in filtered moxa smoke group were exposed to filtered moxa smoke environment, the mice in volatile components of moxa floss group were exposed to 150℃ moxa floss heating environment, the mice in essential oil of Artemisia Argyi group were exposed to Artemisia Argyi essential oilatomization environment. All interventions were carried out in the cabinet and were performed for 20 min per day, 6 days per week for 14 weeks. After the treatment, the mice were euthanased. The mice of plasma were measured by biochemical or ELISA method, the thoracic aorta was collected for red oil O staining. The mRNA levels in the thoracic aorta were analyzed by RT-qPCR. ResultsThe group moxa smoke group and filtered moxa smoke group showed a significantly lower plaque area percentage in the thoracic aorta, and higher expression of AMPK-mRNA and eNOS-mRNA in the thoracic aorta compared with the AS mice. ConclusionMoxa smoke and filtered moxa smoke equally suppressed the progression of atherosclerotic lesions in ApoE−/− mice. It is suggested that the particles in moxa smoke may not be the key component of moxibustion.

Heteroatom-doped porous carbons derived from moxa floss of different storage years for supercapacitors

Two novel carbons (MCs) derived from moxa floss of different storage years have been prepared by two low-cost and facile approaches, which are hydrothermal carbonization and direct pyrolysis followed by KOH activation strategy, respectively.

Safety Recommendations for Moxa Use Based on the Concentration of Noxious Substances Produced during Commercial Indirect Moxibustion

Background Moxibustion therapy has been used historically for thousands of years and there are many clinical trials supporting its efficacy and effectiveness for various conditions. Moxa smoke has been a major reason for avoiding moxibustion due to its smell and potential risks to the human body. Methods 10 units of commercial indirect moxa (CIM) from six manufacturers (A–F) were burnt in a 2.5×2.5×2.5 m chamber without ventilation, and concentrations of carbon oxides (CO and CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the indoor air samples were measured. Results For brands A, B, C, D, E, and F, respectively, relative to baseline values, we observed an increase in CO (from 0.002 to 0.007, 0.006, 0.005, 0.006, 0.005, and 0.006 parts per billion (ppb)), NOx (from 0.009 to 0.051, 0.025, 0.015, 0.050, 0.019, and 0.020 ppb), and total VOCs (TVOC; from 48.06 to 288.83, 227.93, 140.82, 223.22, 260.15, and 161.35 μg/m3), while the concentration of CO2 was not elevated. Each CIM brand demonstrated different VOC emission characteristics, which could be divided into three groups. On average, we estimated that 20 units of CIM or 2.41 g moxa floss would need to be combusted in order to exceed the safe levels set by Korean environmental law. This limit is likely to be greater in the case of a larger room or use of ventilation. Conclusions Despite increased CO/NOx/VOC concentrations, overall levels remained within safe limits. These findings may help clinicians to maintain safe moxibustion treatment conditions to help keep both patients and clinicians safe from the pollutants generated by moxa combustion.