by Bob Flaws

Several months ago, Blue Poppy Press published Lorraine Wilcox's scholarly book on the history of moxibustion in the late Ming-early Qing dynasties. At the time, trying to make the whole publication process as comfortable as possible for a first-time author, we accepted Lorraine's title as she submitted it: Moxibustion: The Power of Mugwort Fire. We had already changed so much of what she wrote in the editing process that we were trying to find places and ways we could keep it "hers." Unfortunately, as we have subsequently found out, at least in terms of the title, that was a mistake.

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A number of purchasers have bought this book thinking it is a clinical manual on the practice of moxibustion and, because this is not what this book is, have been disappointed. While this book does include various treatment protocols, the book was not meant to be a clinical manual. Rather, it is a record of how such famous Ming and Qing dynasty Chinese authors as Yang Ji-zhou, Li Shi-zhen, and Zhang Jie-bin thought about and used moxibustion. To remedy this situation, when this book comes up for reprint (in 9-12 months), we will be changing its title to reflect that it is specifically about moxibustion during a particular historical era. We are extremely sorry about this misjudgement on our part.

The good news is that Lorraine has now written a clinical manual of moxibustion which should be released by Blue Poppy Press in several months. This book has plenty of detailed moxa protocols for a host of conditions. Most conditions have direct and several indirect treatment options. There are also detailed instructions on how to roll moxa cones, make moxa rolls, and use all the various moxa appliances now on the market. The book will also be accompanied by either a CD or a companion website full of hundreds of photos on how to do the many techniques described in the body of the book. So we think this second book and its accompanying visual aids will be a great boon for anyone seriously interested in using moxibustion in their practice.

Copyright Blue Poppy Ent. Inc., 2009. All rights reserved.