Tian, Liang, Wang, Jinhai, Luo, Chenglin et al. · Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion · 2015
This study tested whether moxibustion (a traditional Chinese medicine technique using heated mugwort) applied to a specific acupuncture point on the back could help people with ME/CFS feel less tired. Seventy-two patients received either moxibustion or traditional acupuncture at the same points for three treatment courses. The moxibustion group showed greater improvement in fatigue scores compared to the acupuncture group.
This study provides evidence that moxibustion at specific acupoints may offer a non-pharmacological treatment option for ME/CFS fatigue, potentially expanding therapeutic approaches beyond conventional medicine. For patients seeking alternative or complementary treatments, documented efficacy in a randomized trial offers important safety and effectiveness information.
This study does not establish moxibustion as a cure for ME/CFS or prove superiority over other recognized treatments, as there was no comparison with standard medical care or placebo control. The mechanism by which moxibustion reduces fatigue remains unknown, and the 88.9% response rate may be partially attributable to placebo or expectancy effects given lack of blinding.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Tian, Liang, Wang, Jinhai, Luo, Chenglin, Sun, Runjie, Zhang, Xinghua, Yuan, Bo, et al. (2015). [Moxibustion at Gaohuang (BL 43) for chronic fatigue syndrome: a randomized controlled trial].. Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26939325/
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-tian-2015-moxibustion-gaohuang,
author = {Tian, Liang and Wang, Jinhai and Luo, Chenglin and Sun, Runjie and Zhang, Xinghua and Yuan, Bo and Du, Xiao-zheng},
title = {[Moxibustion at Gaohuang (BL 43) for chronic fatigue syndrome: a randomized controlled trial].},
journal = {Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion},
year = {2015},
note = {PubMed: 26939325},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/tian-2015-moxibustion-gaohuang},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/tian-2015-moxibustion-gaohuang
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