moxa
Americannoun
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moxas
plural
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a flammable substance or material obtained from the leaves of certain Chinese and Japanese wormwood plants, especially Artemisia moxa.
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this substance or a similar one of cotton, wool, or the like, placed on the skin usually in the form of a cone or cylinder and ignited for use as a counterirritant.
noun
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a downy material obtained from various plants and used in Oriental medicine by being burned on the skin as a cauterizing agent or counterirritant for the skin
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any of various plants yielding this material, such as the wormwood Artemisia chinensis
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of moxa
1670–80; by uncertain mediation < Japanese mogusa, equivalent to mo ( y ) e burn + -gusa, combining form of kusa herb
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He insisted that the moxa could be placed on almost any part of the body, though the contra indications he suggests show how far the men of his time went with its use.
From Psychotherapy by James J. (James Joseph) Walsh
Others extended the value of the moxa beyond these affections.
From Psychotherapy by James J. (James Joseph) Walsh
Upon returning home, it was burnt deeply with moxa; and miraculously enough the eye got well immediately.
From A Japanese Boy by Shigemi Shiukichi
For preventing disorders, as well as for curing rheumatism, the Japanese, young and old, rich and poor, indiscriminately, are said to be singed with a "moxa" made from the Mugwort.
From Herbal Simples Approved for Modern Uses of Cure by William Thomas Fernie
From the application of the moxa as a cure for physical ills to its application for the cure of bad boys is a natural step.
From The Foundations of Japan Notes Made During Journeys Of 6,000 Miles In The Rural Districts As A Basis For A Sounder Knowledge Of The Japanese People by J.W. Robertson Scott
Our doctor, my chum, or I will come and apply moxas.
From Father Goriot by Ellen Marriage
Her nervous crises, beginning with sobs, ended in floods of tears; and every kind of remedy, from diet-drinks to moxas, had been employed, so that, through sheer weariness, she accepted Bouvard's offer to cure her.
From Bouvard and Pécuchet A Tragi-comic Novel of Bourgeois Life by Gustave Flaubert
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