What’s That Smell In The Clinic?

What’s that smell in the clinic?

Recently, a few patients have been in this position… they’ve booked their treatment at Ilan’s Acupuncture in Marrickville, and they’ve been looking forward to it all week. They head over to the clinic, escaping the hustle and bustle of the outside world, and there it is. It’s subtle, but they can smell it, and it seems kind of familiar to some. They take a seat, and think they know what it is – someone is smoking funny stuff!

They see the acupuncturist, Ilan, and the smell seems to follow him around. He introduces himself, and they follow him into the treatment room. Everything seems normal, he makes a few jokes about the burning of Moxibustion, or Moxa, which causes the ‘funny smell’ in the room, sometimes getting a laugh, and other times just raised eyebrows.

The smell comes from Moxibustion, a traditional heat therapy commonly used in Japanese and Chinese acupuncture.

What Is Moxibustion (Moxa)?

Moxibustion is the therapeutic practice of burning Moxa, a tinder made from the dried leaves of Artemisia vulgaris, commonly known as mugwort. The dried leaves of the plant are processed into a soft, wool-like material which is then carefully burned on or near the body during treatment.

Why Is Moxa Used in Acupuncture?

The history of this heat therapy can be traced back for thousands of years, to people living in cold climates who used burning Moxa to warm up painful areas. Traditionally, it has been used for a wide range of conditions including pain, fatigue, digestive weakness and women’s health.

So, despite what some patients jokingly suspect when they first walk into the clinic, Ilan is not smoking funny substances before your treatment. It’s just Moxa and it’s all in the name of healing. After a while, many patients start associating the smell with relaxation and feeling better!