Donate
Donate
icon
icon
Find help
Top questions Click or tap to explore common questions to get started ›
Request a volunteer guide Find someone to help you navigate this site ›
Find cancer-specific handbooks
Integrative Cancer Care Handbooks ›
Sign up for email updates
Sign up for e-news updates ›
Top questions

During moxibustion, a trained therapist burns an herb to apply heat close to the skin at specific points, which can lead to improvements in several common side effects of cancer treatments.

How do experts use moxibustion?

Both medical groups and integrative experts provide recommendations for moxibustion in treating people with cancer. Learn more about the approaches and meanings of recommendation: Integrative Oncology Programs and Expert Guidelines ›

Clinical practice guidelines

The guidelines listed here specifically mention moxibustion. Other guidelines may consider moxibustion to be part of acupuncture and don’t evaluate it separately.

Chinese Integrative Therapy of Primary Liver Cancer Working Group

Clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of primary liver cancer with integrative traditional Chinese and Western medicine ›

This group’s 2018 guidelines give a weak recommendation for moxibustion and acupuncture to relieve pain or reduce gastrointestinal reactions such as vomiting.

Other expert assessments

Chinese medicine clinical service

Development of evidence-based Chinese medicine clinical service recommendations for cancer palliative care using Delphi Approach based on the evidence to decision framework ›

A survey of experts published in 2020 found consensus to recommend moxibustion for reducing nausea and vomiting among patients receiving chemotherapy.

Traditional medicine

Moxibustion is used in traditional Chinese medicine and is recommended in guidelines from Chinese integrative practitioners.

Learn more about traditional medicine and how to find practitioners: Finding Integrative Oncologists and Other Practitioners ›

Helpful link

What Is Moxibustion? ›

Keep reading about moxibustion

Choose what to read next
See all our reviews of complementary therapies

Authors

Nancy Hepp, MS

Lead Researcher
View profile

Ms. Hepp is a researcher and communicator who has been writing and editing educational content on varied health topics for more than 20 years. She serves as lead researcher and writer for CancerChoices and also served as the first program manager. Her graduate work in research and cognitive psychology, her master’s degree in instructional design, and her certificate in web design have all guided her in writing and presenting information for a wide variety of audiences and uses. Nancy’s service as faculty development coordinator in the Department of Family Medicine at Wright State University also provided experience in medical research, plus insights into medical education and medical care from the professional’s perspective.

Nancy Hepp, MS Lead Researcher

Laura Pole, MSN, RN, OCNS

Senior Clinical Consultant
View profile

Laura Pole is senior clinical consultant for CancerChoices. Laura is an oncology clinical nurse specialist who has been providing integrative oncology clinical care, navigation, consultation, and education services for over 40 years. She is the co-creator and co-coordinator of the Integrative Oncology Navigation Training at Smith Center for Healing and the Arts in Washington, DC. Laura also manages the “Media Watch Cancer News That You Can Use” listserv for Smith Center/Commonweal. In her role as a palliative care educator and consultant, Laura has served as statewide Respecting Choices Faculty for the Virginia POST (Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment) Collaborative as well as provided statewide professional education on palliative and end-of-life care for the Virginia Association for Hospices and Palliative Care.

For CancerChoices, Laura curates content and research, networks with clinical and organizational partners, brings awareness and education of integrative oncology at professional and patient conferences and programs, and translates research into information relevant to the patient experience as well as clinical practice.

Laura sees her work with CancerChoices as a perfect alignment of all her passions, knowledge and skills in integrative oncology care. She is honored to serve you.

Laura Pole, MSN, RN, OCNS Senior Clinical Consultant

Reviewer

Emily Ryan, ND, MSOM, LAc

Research Associate
View profile

Dr. Ryan served as a research associate for CancerChoices. She is a licensed and board certified naturopathic physician and acupuncturist in Oregon. Dr. Ryan is the founder of Gentle Natural Wellness, a clinic specializing in bridging classical Chinese medicine with naturopathic medicine to provide individualized, compassionate care for people in the community. A Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine and Master of Science in Oriental Medicine with honors from the National University of Natural Medicine, research in medical anthropology at the University of Hawai’i and George Mason University, language and culture programs at Obirin University (Tokyo) and Sogang University (Seoul), and studies of Chinese herbal medicine and qigong in China have provided a diverse background that has helped form a foundation for her community health and healing path.

Emily Ryan, ND, MSOM, LAc Research Associate

Last update: December 18, 2023

Last full literature review: September 2021

CancerChoices provides information about integrative in cancer care, a patient-centered approach combining the best of conventional care, self care and evidence-informed complementary care in an integrated plan cancer care. We review complementaryin cancer care, complementary care involves the use of therapies intended to enhance or add to standard conventional treatments; examples include supplements, mind-body approaches such as yoga or psychosocial therapy, and acupuncture therapies and self-care lifestyle actions and behaviors that may impact cancer outcomes; examples include eating health-promoting foods, limiting alcohol, increasing physical activity, and managing stress practices to help patients and professionals explore and integrate the best combination of conventionalthe cancer care offered by conventionally trained physicians and most hospitals; examples are chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy and complementary therapies and practices for each person.

Our staff have no financial conflicts of interest to declare. We receive no funds from any manufacturers or retailers gaining financial profit by promoting or discouraging therapies mentioned on this site.

Learn more

Therapies

Mistletoe

Finding Integrative Oncologists and Other Practitioners

Community