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Mugwort leaves, as the primary material for moxibustion, should be harvested on the third day of the third lunar month or the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. The leaves should be dried and used to cover paths (trampled by people); those that have been aged are preferred and must be stored for a long time before use. (From *Ru Men*) On the Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu), before sunrise, one should intuitively seek mugwort plants resembling human figures to harvest for moxibustion, which is particularly effective. It is also said that mugwort harvested on the third day of the third lunar month is extremely excellent for moxibustion. (From *Lei Ju*) ○ Take aged, yellowed mugwort leaves, regardless of quantity, place them in a mortar, and gently pound with a wooden pestle until softened. Pass through a fine sieve to remove green dregs, then pound and sieve again until the texture becomes soft, fine, yellow, and fully processed. Then use it. (From *Ju Fang*) ○ Pound the mugwort leaves until soft, remove the green parts, retain only the white parts, mix with sulfur, and knead. This method yields especially wonderful results. (From *Ru Men*)

The base diameter of a moxa cone should be three *fen*, and its length should also be three *fen*. If smaller than this, it will not cover the acupoint adequately, fail to act upon the meridians, prevent the fire qi from circulating, and thus cannot eliminate disease. For robust individuals, the size may be slightly increased; for children, it can be as small as a wheat grain or a sparrow's droppings. (From *Ju Fang*) ○ The root of the moxa cone can be shaped according to the tip of a small bamboo chopstick. If the patient's pulse is thick like a giant thread, simply applying moxibustion directly on the meridian can cure the disease even with small moxa cones. However, for internal conditions such as hernia (*shan*), masses (*jia*), fixed lumps (*pi*), qi accumulations, or *fuliang* (subdiaphragmatic mass), large moxa cones are required. (From *Ru Men*)

In ancient times, when using fire for moxibustion, it was taboo to use fire from eight types of wood: pine, mulberry, jujube, cypress, bamboo, zhi (bitter orange), elm, and tangerine. Nowadays, fire from these woods is not used; instead, clear oil lamps are lit, and moxa stems are burned on the lamp wick for point moxibustion. This method provides moisturizing effects, ensuring the moxa sore heals without pain. Using candles is even better. ○ Another method involves using a burning glass (convex lens) to focus sunlight onto mugwort to ignite it; this fire is good for moxibustion. Secondly, using a fire mirror (concave mirror) to reflect sunlight onto mugwort to generate fire is also usable. (From *Ju Fang*) ○ Generally, striking stone is suitable for obtaining fire. Nowadays, people use a blunt iron knife to strike stone, placing paper ash formed into a fire pill underneath to catch the spark, which also yields usable fire. (From *Zi Sheng*)

Whenever performing direct moxibustion ("xia huo"), one must wait until after solar noon to apply the moxa. This timing is referred to as "xia huo" because the yin qi has not yet arrived; at this time, moxibustion is invariably effective. During the morning hours (pingdan), when grain qi is deficient, leading to mania, vertigo, and dizziness, acupuncture and moxibustion should be avoided. Exercise extreme caution! This is the general principle, but it does not apply to emergency situations. If encountering rainy, snowy, or windy weather, suspend treatment temporarily and wait for clear and bright weather before proceeding. Moxibustion should not be performed when the patient is overly full, severely hungry, intoxicated, or has consumed cold, raw, hard foods. Furthermore, avoid moxibustion during states of excessive thought, sorrow, anger, cursing, mourning, sighing, or any other inauspicious circumstances. (From *Qian Jin*)