Description

VESSEL FOR CAUTERIZING WITH MOXA

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to an instrument required for indirect moxibustion, and more particularly, to an indirect moxibustion instrument, which can prevent allergic reactions or itching caused by moxa resin, reduce smoke generation by reburning, and allow anyone to use easily and conveniently because moxa resin does not fall onto the skin at the time of combustion of moxa cone. Background Art

[2] Generally, mugwort is a perennial plant that belongs to the Compositae family, and is known to be warm in temper, innoxious, bitter-tasted and effective in treating and preventing many old diseases in traditional Chinese medicine. Especially, the effect of mugwort in folk remedies is already widely known.

[3] One of the folk remedies using such pharmacological action of mugwort is moxibustion. The moxibustion includes direct moxibustion in which moxa is applied directly to the part to be treated, and indirect moxibustion which is conducted with garlic, ginger, aconite, salt, etc. placed on the part to be treated, or by using a moxa cup mount or a hot instrument.

[4] Of them, the primitive method of placing and cauterizing moxa directly on the skin accompanies acute pain induced by strong heat stimulation which is instantaneous and direct, and in some cases, may leave scars. Therefore, in such direct moxibustion, it is advisable that a qualified and skilled practitioner should apply moxibustion oneself. And, the degree of sensible heat in application is too high, and the burning of moxa on the skin may cause pain and burns, which make a lot of people unwilling to seek moxibustion. Moreover, patients get nervous about undergoing direct moxibustion, and this may cause the constriction of the capillaries and hence increase the blood pressure and worsen their disease. Consequently, indirect moxibustion for delivering burning moxa through a moxa cup mount is prevalent at present. Furthermore, various types of indirect moxibustion instruments are being developed which can relieve patients suffering and psychological burdens as much as possible and leave no scars. One example of such indirect moxibustion instruments is illustrated in FIG. 1.

[5] FIG. 1 is a view showing a configuration of one example of a conventional indirect moxibustion instrument. As shown therein, the conventional indirect moxibustion instrument 10 is configured to conduct indirect moxibustion by inserting a moxa cone mounting plate 14 into a moxibustion container 12 and mounting a moxa cone 16 onto the mounting plate 14 while adjusting the height of the mounting plate 14.

[6] The indirect moxibustion instrument 10 of such a structure has a disadvantage in that the moxa resin descends along the moxibustion container together with the heat of the moxa and is adhered to a patient s skin.

[7] As seen from above, the upper side and lower side of the conventional moxibustion instrument have the same bore diameter, and accordingly, there are drawbacks that a lot of loss of heat of moxibustion is occurred because the heat is released upward, the moxibustion instrument is covered with moxa resin after its use and thus gets messy, and the moxa resin is not washed out well so that it is hard to reuse the moxibustion instrument. And, there often happen the case where patients fall into sleep during cautery and unconsciously knock over the moxibustion instrument. In this case, the burning moxa cone may fall out through the upper opening, thus raising the risk of burns or fire. Moreover, since the upper side and lower side of the conventional moxibustion instrument have the same bore diameter, it becomes too hot during the combustion of moxa, a lot of smoke is generated while moxa burns, and moxa resin falls onto the skin of the part to be treated, which causes itching and allergy and leaves scars. Thus, the moxa resin left on the moxibustion treatment part after treatment is being an obstacle to the cautery treatment of parts exposed to outside, especially of women. As a result, these drawbacks have been the major hindrance to worldwide spread of moxibustion. Disclosure of Invention

Technical Problem

[8] The present invention has been made in view of the above drawbacks, and it is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an indirect moxibustion instrument, which can prevent allergic reactions or itching caused by moxa resin, reduce smoke generation by reburning, and allow anyone to use easily and conveniently because moxa resin does not fall onto the skin at the time of combustion of moxa cone. Technical Solution

[9] In order to achieve the above object of the present invention, there is provided an indirect moxibustion instrument for supporting a moxa cone to be indirectly contacted with a patient's skin to deliver moxibustion heat of the burning moxa cone to the skin, comprising: a mount whose sides and top surface are enclosed by walls, and whose bottom surface has an open drum shape and is placed on the skin of the patient, which mounts the moxa cone on the top surface to guide heat of the moxa cone downward and deliver the same to the skin of the patient, and has a discharge opening at the sides for discharging internal air; and a lid which is joined onto the mount, and which has a hemispherical combustion space prepared therein for disposing the moxa cone and an

external air inlet opening formed at the top part as inlet ridges are protruded inward, so that the combustion heat of the moxa cone circulates in the internal space and moxa resin generated by the combustion of the moxa cone is adhered to the inner walls of the upper end.

[10] Mugwort leaves contain about 0.02% of vegetable oil, mainly consisting of cineol

(50%), and also contain bases, such as oc-thujone, sesquiterpene alcohol, adenine (0.025%), and choline (0.11%), and potassium oxide and lactic acid, and are warm in temper, innoxious, bitter-tasted. Mugwort contains so many beneficial constituents as to be selected as one of the three plants for preventing adult diseases together with garlic and carrot. Especially, mugwort is known to be effective for gastroenteric disorders, chronic hepatitis, anemia, asthma, headache, neuralgia, rheumatism, arteriosclerosis, hypertension, fatigue, menstrual disorders, and also to have a superior effect in preventing adult diseases. Further, when someone's wound is bleeding, if raw leaves of mugwort are rubbed and applied to the wound, this immediately stops bleeding by way of its hemostatic action. Because of its benefit for skin beauty, if one cuts mugwort into thin slices, puts them in a bath tub and takes a bath, the body gets warm so it is good for fatigue, cold & flu, neuralgia, feeling of being cold, etc. and helps keep smooth and moist by removing the toxicity, wastes and dullness of the skin. In case where this mugwort is applied to cauterization, moxa resin is generated due to the vegetable oil components contained in the mugwort. The moxibustion instrument of the present invention eliminates the problem of the moxa resin falling onto the skin by making the moxa resin rise within a combustion space and adhered to the inner walls of the lid. Furthermore, smoke generated by the combustion of moxa reburns while fumigating a moxa cone in the combustion space within the lid, so very little smoke to be finally discharged is generated, and only a little smoke is discharged to the outside through the external air inlet opening of the moxibustion instrument. Brief Description of the Drawings

[11] The above objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[12] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing one example of a conventional indirect moxibustion instrument;

[13] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an indirect moxibustion instrument when a lid is closed according to the present invention;

[14] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 2;

[15] FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 2; and

[16] FIG. 5 is a view illustrating the use state of the indirect moxibustion instrument

according to the present invention. Mode for the Invention

[17] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. An indirect moxibustion instrument 50 of the present invention comprises a mount 100 onto which a moxa cone 60 is mounted, and a lid 200, joined to the top of the mount 100, for housing the moxa cone 60.

[18] The sides and upper surface of the mount 100 are formed in walls, and the bottom part of a drum portion 110 is opened and the top part thereof is enclosed by a mounting plate portion 120. At the center of the mounting plate portion 120, a mounting groove 130 for mounting the moxa cone 60 is recessed, and at the center of the mounting groove 130, a center hole 132 is perforated. With the center hole 132 as a vertex, four peripheral holes 134 are formed at the mounting groove 130 along the circumference of the center hole 132. The heat of the moxa cone 60 mounted on the mounting groove 130 passes through the center hole 132 formed within the mounting groove 130 and the peripheral holes 134 to reach a user's skin in close contact with the opening side of the bottom part of the mount 100. Although these four peripheral holes 134 are illustrated in this embodiment, the number thereof can be changed to two or more which causes no problem in operation. Mounting projections 136 are also protruded around the center hole 132 of the mounting groove 130 so that the bottom surface of the moxa cone 60 mounted on the mounting groove 130 can be spaced a slight gap apart from the surface of the mounting plate portion 120, thereby inducing the moxa cone 60 to burn more smoothly. Further, on the periphery of the mounting groove 130, at least two, preferably, three gripping projections 137 are protruded from recessed sidewalls along the circumferential direction, to thus engage the moxa cone 60 mounted on the mounting groove 130 therewith and firmly grip it. This prevents the moxa cone 60 from falling out from the mounting groove 130 even if the moxibustion instrument 50 is separated from the treatment part of the patient or knocked over, thereby improving safety. At the mounting plate portion 120 outside the mounting groove 130, four flow holes 122 are radially perforated so that combustion gas of the moxa cone 60 fallen to the internal space of the mount 100 can rise (or flow) to the combustion space of the lid 200.

[19] In the embodiment of the present invention, the mount 100 is stepped in a cylindrical shape at a part connecting the mounting plate portion 120 and the drum portion 110, and coupling projections 124 are protruded on the outer circumferential surface of the mounting plate portion 120. These coupling projections 124 are spaced at equal intervals along the outer circumferential surface of the mounting plate portion 120. Near the lower end of the drum portion 110 of the mount 100, a discharge

opening 112 for discharging out the air inside the moxibustion instrument to the outside is formed. Preferably, a pair of discharge openings 112 is formed at the left and right sides of the mount 100 respectively, and three or more can be perforated at equal intervals. As such, by forming a plurality of discharge openings 112 and distributing them at the left and right sides of the mount 100, the sensation of heat can be uniformly distributed for broad application. If an appropriate one of the discharge openings 112 is blocked by a finger or the like, the sensation of heat is delivered only to a desired part and the combustion time of the moxa cone 60 can be adjusted. On the surface of the drum portion 110 of the mount 100, a pair of left and right handles 140 is prepared so that the user can easily carry the moxibustion instrument. These handles 140 can be formed in various shapes, for example, a cup handle-like shape as in this embodiment, an ear- like shape slightly protruding from the drum portion 110, a rocket wing-like shape, or any other shapes making it easy to grip with hand.

[20] Meanwhile, the lid 200 has a combustion space prepared therein in a hemispherical shape, and an external air inlet opening 210 formed on the top thereof for intaking external air. The external air inlet opening 210 is designed in a structure that the path becomes narrower as it proceeds inward from the lid 200, and preferably, as shown in FIG. 4, the path is gradually narrowed in a V-shape as it proceeds downward, which thus helps suck air. To form such a V-shaped external air inlet opening 210, inlet ridges 220 and 222 are protruded inward as well as outward from the lid 200. Especially, the inward inlet ridge 222 are protruded inward from the lid 200 longer than the outward inlet ridge 220, to thus prevent the air rising in the combustion space of the lid 200 from releasing out of the external air inlet opening 210, and at the same time guide it to be supplied to the moxa cone 60. The protrusion length of the inward inlet ridge 222 is preferably two or more times greater than that of the outward inlet ridge 220, more preferably two to four times. Due to the inward inlet ridge 222, the combustion gas circulating along the hemispherical inner walls of the lid 200 is not released out of the external air inlet opening 210, but hits against it and circulated toward the burning moxa cone 60 for reburning. As a result, the combustion gas reburns to thus minimize smoke generation, and the moxibustion heat of the moxa cone 60 is confined in the hemispherical combustion space and circulated due to the air circulation structure of the lid 200, thereby increasing the heat of the moxa cone 60 and doubling the moxibustion effect. At the inner side of the lower end of the lid 200, coupling grooves 230 in which the coupling projections 124 of the mount 100 are driven and caught are prepared. Hence, in the state that the lid 200 is covered on the mount 100, if they are turned just a little, the coupling projections 124 are caught and coupled to the coupling grooves 230. This prevents the moxa cone 60 from being released out of the moxibustion instrument 50 even if the moxibustion instrument 50 is

separated from the treatment part of the user, thereby avoiding dangerous situations such as fire.

[21] The moxibustion instrument 50 comprising the mount 100 and the lid 200 as described above is preferably made of heat-resistant ceramics, especially, manufactured by blending a variety of raw materials such as loess, gold powder, silver powder, gem powder, elvan, bamboo salt, ceramics, tourmaline, etc. and then baking them into a ceramic. As a result, when the moxa cone 60 burns within the internal space composed of the mount 100 and the lid 200, the mount 100 and the lid 200 emit far infrared rays beneficial to a human body towards the skin of the patient because of their material as they are heated.

[22] FIG. 5 is a view exemplifying the use state of the indirect moxibustion instrument according to the present invention.

[23] In order to apply moxibustion, first, the moxa cone 60 is mounted onto the mounting groove 130 of the mount 100, and then the moxa cone 60 is ignited. The moxa cone 60 used for the moxibustion instrument is configured in such a manner that the upper side is formed in a cone shape, and a cavity is hollowed out along the axial line. The bore diameter of the cavity is designed to be smaller than the bore diameter of the lower end of the external air inlet opening 210 but greater than that of the discharge opening 112. This allows the air entering through the external air inlet opening 210 to be sucked into the cavity of the moxa cone 60 and then to be smoothly flowed towards the discharge opening 112. The structure of the moxa cone 60 will be described in more detail later. In such a structure of the moxa cone 60, when igniting the moxa cone 60, it is preferred that the tip end of the moxa cone 50 is ignited. After igniting the moxa cone 50, when the lid 200 is closed on the mount 100 and then turned, the coupling projections 124 and the coupling grooves 230 are engaged with each other to couple the mount 100 and the lid 200, and the moxa cone 60 burns within their internal combustion space. In this state, when the moxibustion instrument 50 is placed on the patient's affected part, the moxa cone 60 is combusted by the air entering through the external air inlet opening 210 of the lid 200, and its heat descends to the lower space S of the mount 100 via the center hole 132 of the mount 100 and the peripheral holes 134 around it and reaches the skin S of the patient, thereby treating the affected part. Some part of the heat reaching the skin as such is discharged through the discharge openings 112, and the other part thereof reenters the combustion space S within the lid 200 via the flow holes 122, flows along the inner walls of the lid 200, hits against the inward inlet ridges 222, and is supplied to the moxa cone 60 for reburning.

[24] As set forth above, since the combustion air reburns, only a little smoke is generated, and this slight amount of smoke thus generated is released through the

external air inlet opening 210. Meanwhile, the moxa resin 70 generated by the combustion of the moxa cone 60 rises along an ascending current of the combustion gas entering into the lid 200 from the inside of the mount 100 via the flow holes 122 while volatilizing on the surface of the moxa cone 60, and is deposited on the inner walls around the inward inlet ridge 222. As such, because the moxa resin 70 generated by the combustion of the moxa cone 60 does not descend to the lower part of the mount 100, the moxibustion instrument 50 has no possibility of adhesion of the moxa resin 70 to the patient's skin, thereby keeping the patient's safe from allergies and itching caused by moxa resin. Especially, the moxibustion instrument 50 of the present invention is designed in such a way that the outer end of the external air inlet opening 210 is wide and the inner end thereof is narrow, the cavity 62 of the moxa cone 60 is narrower than the bore diameter of the inner end of the external air inlet opening 210, and the discharge opening 112 is narrower than the cavity 62 of the moxa cone 60. Re- sultantly, because the moxibustion instrument 50 of the present invention is designed such that the path from the air intake to the discharge gets gradually smaller, it can improve the moxibustion effect by smoothly making the intake of external air and the flow of heat within the moxibustion instrument. Industrial Applicability

[25] The indirect moxibustion instrument of the present invention is convenient to use because moxa resin is not put on the skin and it is easy to clean up by being embodied in such a manner that moxa resin generated by the combustion of moxa during cautery treatment does not fall but rises and is adhered to the inner walls of a lid. Accordingly, the moxibustion instrument of the present invention can prevent the user's skin from getting an indirect burn due to moxa resin during moxibustion, and can also allow anyone to use conveniently and safely regardless of place. In particular, the moxibust ion instrument of the invention allows anyone to use at ease without unwillingness by causing no mugwort allergy and itching at all because moxa resin does not fall onto the skin.

[26] Additionally, according to the present invention, the external air inlet opening prepared at the top part of the moxibustion instrument becomes narrower as it proceeds inward, and in turn becomes much narrower as it proceeds to the cavity and discharge opening of the moxa cone. That is, the circulation path of the air supplied to outside becomes gradually narrower from the inlet opening to the discharge opening to smoothly make the intake and flow of air. As a result, the present invention can provide a strong cautery effect since the moxa cone burns more smoothly. Furthermore, the present invention has the effects of minimizing an external loss of moxa heat and helping reburning to thus generate very little smoke because the moxa

cone burns within the hemispherical combustion space formed with a mount and a lid so that the moxa heat is confined within the hemispherical space and circulates towards the skin of the patient. Moreover, the moxibustion instrument of the present invention allows the heat-resistant radiation of far infrared rays to be kept warmly like a room- heating effect due to the self-heat of the moxibustion instrument that is heated even after the complete combustion of the moxa cone. In addition, the moxibustion instrument of the invention can be safely and conveniently carried and positioned to another position by holding the handle prepared at the moxibustion instrument with hands even during the treatment of moxibustion. Besides, the moxibustion instrument of the invention is used by coupling the coupling projections and the coupling grooves to each other, with the lid housing the burning moxa cone therein; and the external air inlet opening prepared at the upper part of the lid is narrow and the inlet ridges are protruded inward to function as leakage prevention ridges, so that even if the patient knocks over the moxibustion instrument unconsciously, the moxa cone does not fall out, thereby preventing the risk of burns and fire.