Chapter Seventy-four: Emergency Dispatch, Acupuncturist!
Let me get straight to the point. We were able to make moxa perfectly… perfectly!
Mr. Ville helped by using a drying spell, and then Mr. Ed pulverized it like an electric mill. As I sifted that powder, Mr. Xenon blew away the mugwort chaff like using a winnowing fan. Repeating this process several times, I finally obtained about a bowlful of black mugwort fibers… moxa!
Initially, the moxa was a darkish green color, but after repeated grinding and sifting, the impurities were removed, and it settled into a faintly greenish hue. Not giving off a grassy, musty scent, but rather a faintly refreshing aroma—it’s delightfully fluffy moxa.
I don’t have the courage to use it for direct moxibustion, but indirect or warming moxibustion should be possible, right?
Ideally, it would be better to age it for years to allow the volatile compounds to dissipate, but since I’m mainly using it for moxa packs, it shouldn’t be an issue.
As for the bags to put the moxa in, Ms. Aria joyfully spun the thread to make them herself after hearing they were for "warm items." One of the bags is thin and roughly woven, not as fine as gauze. The other is a thicker, tightly woven sack.
In the thin bag, I put the freshly made moxa, some rock salt I bought at the market before the mission, crushed to pebble size, dried orange peel from the other day, and some surprisingly fragrant dried herbs.
Wet it with water, heat it in the microwave while monitoring it, and then wrap it in the thick cloth and apply it to the area you want to warm.
Easy, isn’t it?
It’s a moxa pack that a classmate taught me back in vocational school. The rock salt helps retain heat, the moxa provides warming effects, and the orange aroma has a relaxing effect… or so I believe personally.
I wanted to make moxa sticks with the leftover moxa, but there wasn’t enough. Moxa sticks are warm and pleasant, so if I find more black mugwort, I’ll gather it eagerly. Warming needles would also be nice, but those require stainless steel needles, which I don’t have…
“Thank you all for your help! I’m now confident I can make moxa!”
“Sure thing. If you need more, just gather the mugwort and I’ll handle the drying and grinding.”
“Thank you! I’m sure I’ll be asking for that!”
What a considerate leader. I’ll happily take him up on that offer; I could use more moxa for warmth packs…
For now, though, I’ll re-manifest the Camping Car and warm up the moxa pack in the microwave. Glancing at the rice cooker, it seemed time did progress while the manifestation was dismissed, as the remaining cooking time had properly counted down.
Now to find a wrapping cloth…
“I’ll warm up the area around the DaiZhui acupoint. In Eastern medicine, it’s where the Yang meridians and Yang energy intersect, and in Western terms, it can help regulate the autonomic nervous system, so it’s good for improving cold sensitivity.”
“Nn! This is warm! It feels nice…”
“…But since it’s around your neck, it might restrict your movement a bit… It would have been better if we had something thin like a commercial heat pack…”
“No, movement is fine! In fact, the warmth makes it easier to move!”
I wrapped the moxa pack in the wrapping cloth and tied it around the back of Ms. Aria’s neck, positioning it over the DaiZhui acupoint—the space between the spinous processes of the 7th cervical and 1st thoracic vertebrae. It’s said to improve the flow of Wei Qi, which protects the body from external pathogens. Conveniently, it’s also near the FengMen acupoint, considered the "entrance/exit" for wind pathogens, so the moxa pack covers that area too. Well, the moxa pack is about pillow-sized, so it naturally covers both DaiZhui and FengMen.
I checked with Ms. Aria, and it doesn’t seem to restrict her movement much. I suppose she can think of it as wearing a slightly oversized hood.
Ideally, for treating coldness, acupoints like GuanYuan on the abdomen, or SanyinJiao and TaiXi on the legs that deal with cold pathogens rather than wind ones would be better… but those areas could hinder mobility if I applied moxa packs there.
The MingMen point is also located in the lower back, an essential part of the body, and warming it alone can make a difference. But if I wrap the moxa pack around the waist, it would look like a bustle, making it difficult to move when exploring tight spaces…
As I was worrying about mobility, Ms. Aria seemed totally revived next to me, puffing out her chest proudly.
“Re-vived!”
“Ah, I’m glad. Let me know if the moxa pack cools down and needs reheating.”
“Nn! And massage me too!”
“Understood. I’ll include a hand massage as well.”
“Thanks! Alright, let’s head down!”
As Ms. Aria swiftly moved, Mr. Ville sighed deeply, Mr. Xenon smiled gently and warmly, and Mr. Ed hugged Ms. Aria, saying "I’m glad for you.”
…Ah yes, just to be safe, I should prepare things like coats and warm blankets before we descend to the next floor!
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