Trial reportBMC complementary and alternative medicine2011
The effectiveness of moxibustion for the treatment of functional constipation: a randomized, sham-controlled, patient blinded, pilot clinical trial.
Trial report in BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 46 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy and safety of moxibustion on cancer-related fatigue: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2023Pooled it
- Dropouts in randomized clinical trials of Korean medicine interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Trials · 2021Pooled it
- The effectiveness and safety of moxibustion for treating cancer-related fatigue: a systematic review and meta-analyses.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2014Pooled it
- Clinical Efficacy of Abdominal Massage Combined With Moxibustion for Treatment of Chronic Constipation in Elderly Patients.Neurogastroenterology and motility · 2026Trial
- A Feasibility Study of Moxibustion for Treating Anorexia and Improving Quality of Life in Patients With Metastatic Cancer: A Randomized Sham-Controlled Trial.Integrative cancer therapies · 2017Trial
- Effectiveness of moxibustion treatment as adjunctive therapy in osteoarthritis of the knee: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial.Arthritis research & therapy · 2014Trial
- Trial
- Moxibustion for treating knee osteoarthritis: study protocol of a multicentre randomised controlled trial.BMC complementary and alternative medicine · 2013Trial
- The role of purinergic signaling in acupuncture-mediated relief of neuropathic and inflammatory pain.Purinergic signalling · 2025Review
- Effectiveness and mechanism of moxibustion in treating chronic non-specific low back pain: study protocol for a multicenter randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- The Case for Moxibustion for Painful Syndromes: History, principles and rationale.Current research in complementary & alternative medicine · 2022Article
- The Beneficial Effects of Moxibustion on Overweight Adolescent Girls.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2021Article
- Effectiveness and Safety of Moxibustion on Constipation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2020Review
- Comparison of acupuncture and other drugs for chronic constipation: A network meta-analysis.PloS one · 2018Article
- Normative values for stool frequency and form using Rome III diagnostic criteria for functional constipation in adults: systematic review with meta-analysis.Annals of gastroenterology · 2017Review
- Analysis and Thoughts about the Negative Results of International Clinical Trials on Acupuncture.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2015Review
- Comment on "Analysis and Thoughts about the Negative Results of International Clinical Trials on Acupuncture".Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2015Article
- Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Chronic Constipation.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2015Review
- Moxibustion for the correction of nonvertex presentation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2013Review
- Transcutaneous Acupoint Electrical Stimulation on Chemotherapy-Induced Constipation for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Asia-Pacific journal of oncology nursingArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMoxibustion is an ancient traditional medicine using burning mugworts to stimulate acupuncture points. The aim of this study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of moxibustion for the treatment of constipation using a randomized, sham-controlled, participant-blinded, pilot trial.
methodsTwenty-six participants (identified with either qi (vital energy) deficiency or qi excess syndrome) were randomly divided into either a moxibustion or sham group. Participants were treated with real or sham moxibustion at 4 acupuncture points, ST23 and ST27, bilaterally, 3 times per week for four weeks. The primary outcome was the frequency of defecations; secondary outcomes were the Bristol stool form scale (BSS) and the constipation assessment scale (CAS).
resultsOf the 26 participants that were randomized, 24 completed the study. Defecation frequency, BSS, and CAS showed no difference between the moxibustion and sham groups. The differences were -0.25 (95% CI: -2.08, 1.58, p = 0.78), -1.22 (95% CI: -2.7, 0.26, p = 0.1), 0.91 (95% CI: -1.46, 3.28, p = 0.44) in defecation frequency, BSS, CAS, respectively. The defecation frequency increased from an average of 3.3 to 4.6 times per week in the moxibustion group (1.5[-0.5, 2], p = 0.06) and from 2.7 to 3.7 stools per week in the sham group (1[-1, 2], p = 0.15) after four weeks of treatment. The difference between participants with a deficiency or an excess syndrome, determined based on assessment of sweat, facial features, pain, body energy, and pulse type, was significant in only defecation frequency. The difference was 3.3 (95% CI: 0.41, 6.19, p = 0.03).
conclusionMoxibustion treatment appears safe, but showed no positive effect on constipation. The effectiveness of moxibustion treatment may depend on the syndrome pattern, and further long-term studies with a larger number of subjects are warranted.
trial registrationClinical Research Information Service, KCT0000168.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.