灸法下火宜用阳燧火珠承日取太阳之火其次用线香火或麻油灯蜡烛火以艾茎烧点于
炷艾润灸
疮至愈不痛也其戛金击石钻燧入木之火皆不可用邵子云火无体因物以为体金石火伤神多汗
桑火伤肌肉柘火伤气脉枣火伤肉吐血橘火伤营卫经络榆火伤骨失志竹火伤筋损目南齐书载武帝
时有沙门从北齐 赤火来其火赤于常火而小云以疗疾贵贱争取之灸至七炷多验吴与杨道庆
疾二十年灸之即瘥咸称为圣火诏禁之不止不知此火何物之火也故灸病下火最宜选慎若急卒惊
惶
取用竹木之火非徒无益而反有损人以为灸无功效而不知用火之过误也
古法灸病令病患春坐东向西夏坐南向北秋坐西向东冬坐北向南后八易要春向东夏向
南秋向西
冬向北顺迎四时之生气理为近似然准此为定向尽人所同但人各有定命各有五行生克制化不若
遵宪书九宫男女定命坐旺迎生为准的如一宫立命干兑为生坎为旺坐坎向干或向兑皆为生旺
互用二宫立命离为生坤艮为旺三四两宫立命坎为生震巽为旺五宫立命男寄于艮女寄于坤生旺
与二八两宫同六七两宫立命坤艮为生干兑为旺八宫立命生旺同二宫九宫立命坤艮为生离
为旺照此安定坐向灸之乃有神验
千金云人有老少体有长短肤有肥瘦皆须精思度量准而折之法以男左手女右手以中指
第二节屈
指两纹尖相去为一寸童稚亦如之取稻杆心量或薄篾量皆易折而不伸或以细绳蜡用亦可凡点
穴皆要平正四体无使歪斜灸时恐穴不正徒坏好肉尔若坐点则坐灸卧点则卧灸立点则立灸反此
则不得真穴矣
灸法施灸时，点燃艾炷宜选用阳燧（古代取火工具）或火珠承接日光以获取太阳之火；其次可选用线香、香火，或者麻油灯、蜡烛的火源。用艾茎引燃艾炷进行润灸，直至疮口愈合且不感到疼痛为止。那些敲击金属、撞击石头、钻木取火所产生的火焰都不可使用。邵雍曾说：“火没有固定的形体，是依附于物体而显现形体的。”金石之火会损伤神气，导致多汗；桑木之火会损伤肌肉；柘木之火会损伤气脉；枣木之火会损伤肌肉，甚至引起吐血；橘木之火会损伤营卫和经络；榆木之火会损伤骨骼，导致意志丧失；竹木之火会损伤筋腱，损害视力。《南齐书》记载，南齐武帝时期，有一位僧人从北齐带来一种“赤火”，这种火比普通的火颜色更红但体积更小，声称可以用来治疗疾病，无论贵贱都争相求取。用它来灸治，往往灸七壮就见效。吴兴和杨道庆患有长达二十年的疾病，用此火灸治后立即痊愈，人们都称其为“圣火”，皇帝下诏禁止也未能止住，不知道这究竟是什么木头烧出来的火。因此，灸病施灸时最应慎重选择火源。如果因为紧急仓促、惊慌失措而采用竹木之火，不仅无益，反而有害。世人认为灸法没有功效，却不知道这是用火不当造成的过错。
古法在治疗灸病时，要求病患在春季面向西而坐（坐东向西），夏季面向北而坐（坐南向北），秋季面向东而坐（坐西向东），冬季面向南而坐（坐北向南）。《后八易要》中记载：春向东、夏向南、秋向西、冬向北，顺应迎接四时的生气，道理大致相近。然而，以此作为定向的标准，虽然人人相同，但每个人的命运不同，五行生克制化各异，不如遵循《宪书》中九宫男女定命、坐旺迎生的方法为准绳。例如：一宫立命者，干兑为生气，坎为旺气，坐坎向干或向兑，都是生旺互用；二宫立命者，离为生气，坤艮为旺气；三、四两宫立命者，坎为生气，震巽为旺气；五宫立命者，男性寄居艮宫，女性寄居坤宫，其生旺与二、八两宫相同；六、七两宫立命者，坤艮为生气，干兑为旺气；八宫立命者，生旺情况同二宫；九宫立命者，坤艮为生气，离为旺气。按照这种方法安定坐向进行灸治，就会有神奇的疗效。
《千金方》说：人有老少之分，身体有高矮之别，皮肤有肥瘦之异，都必须精心思考度量，采用“折量法”来确定穴位。具体方法是：男子用左手，女子用右手，将中指第二节弯曲，指端两纹尖之间的距离定为一寸。儿童也采用同样的方法。也可以用稻秆心或薄竹篾来量度，这些材料容易折断而不会伸长变形；或者用细绳蘸蜡固定长度也可以。凡是点穴都要保持平正，四肢不要歪斜。灸治时如果穴位不正，只会白白毁坏好肉罢了。如果是坐着点穴，就坐着灸；躺着点穴，就躺着灸；站着点穴，就站着灸。如果与此相反，就无法取到真正的穴位了。
For moxibustion, when igniting the moxa cone, it is advisable to use a Yang Sui (ancient fire-starting tool) or a Fire Pearl to catch sunlight and obtain the fire of the Sun. Secondly, one may use incense sticks, temple incense, or the flames from sesame oil lamps or candles. Ignite the moxa cone using an artemisia stem for "run moxibustion" until the ulcer heals without pain. Fires generated by striking metal, hitting stones, or drilling wood are all unsuitable. Shao Yong stated: "Fire has no inherent form; it takes form according to the object." Fire from metal and stone damages Shen (Spirit), causing excessive sweating; mulberry wood fire damages muscles; zhe wood fire damages Qi and vessels; jujube wood fire damages flesh, potentially leading to hematemesis; orange wood fire damages Ying and Wei (Nutritive and Defensive Qi) and meridians; elm wood fire damages bones, leading to loss of will; bamboo fire damages tendons and harms the eyes. The *Book of Southern Qi* records that during the reign of Emperor Wu of Southern Qi, a monk brought a "Red Fire" from Northern Qi. This fire was redder than ordinary fire but smaller in size, claimed to be effective for treating illnesses, and sought after by people of all social statuses. It was often effective after seven moxa cones were burned. Wu Xing and Yang Daoqing, who had suffered from illness for twenty years, were cured immediately after treatment with this fire. People hailed it as "Holy Fire," and despite imperial edicts prohibiting its use, they continued to do so. It remains unknown what kind of wood produced this fire. Therefore, when performing moxibustion, one must be extremely cautious in selecting the fire source. Using bamboo or wood fire due to urgency, haste, or panic is not only useless but harmful. People attribute the ineffectiveness of moxibustion to the technique itself, unaware that the fault lies in improper fire selection.
Ancient methods for moxibustion directed patients to sit facing West in Spring (sitting East facing West), North in Summer (sitting South facing North), East in Autumn (sitting West facing East), and South in Winter (sitting North facing South). The *Hou Ba Yi Yao* states: Facing East in Spring, South in Summer, West in Autumn, and North in Winter aligns with welcoming the vital Qi of the four seasons, which is logically plausible. However, while this directional rule applies universally, individual destinies and the interactions of the Five Elements vary. It is better to follow the *Xian Shu*, which uses the Nine Palaces method based on gender and destiny to determine auspicious sitting directions that welcome generating Qi. For example: For those with destiny in Palace 1, Qian/Dui are Generating Qi, Kan is Prosperous Qi; sitting at Kan facing Qian or Dui utilizes both Generating and Prosperous Qi. For Palace 2, Li is Generating Qi, Kun/Gen are Prosperous Qi. For Palaces 3 and 4, Kan is Generating Qi, Zhen/Xun are Prosperous Qi. For Palace 5, males are associated with Gen and females with Kun; their Generating and Prosperous Qi are the same as Palaces 2 and 8. For Palaces 6 and 7, Kun/Gen are Generating Qi, Qian/Dui are Prosperous Qi. For Palace 8, Generating and Prosperous Qi are the same as Palace 2. For Palace 9, Kun/Gen are Generating Qi, Li is Prosperous Qi. By stabilizing the sitting direction according to these rules, miraculous results can be achieved.
The *Qian Jin Fang* states: People differ in age (young/old), stature (tall/short), and body type (fat/thin). One must carefully measure and use the "folding method" to locate acupoints. The method is as follows: Use the left hand for men and the right hand for women. Bend the middle finger's second phalanx; the distance between the tips of the creases at the joint is defined as one cun. Children use the same method. Alternatively, rice straw cores or thin bamboo strips can be used for measurement, as they break easily and do not stretch. A fine string fixed with wax is also acceptable. When marking acupoints, ensure the position is level and the limbs are not tilted. If the acupoint is inaccurate during moxibustion, healthy tissue will be damaged unnecessarily. If marking points while sitting, perform moxibustion while sitting; if lying down, lie down for moxibustion; if standing, stand for moxibustion. Deviating from this posture prevents locating the true acupoint.