Moxibustion is an integral part of acupuncture that uses moxa floss as the main combustion material.The establishment of an ISO technical committee (ISO/TC 249) related to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and more importantly,the development of an ISO standard for moxibustion devices which began in 2013 and currently in its penultimate phase have set the stage for moxibustion standardization.Moxibustion materials refer to moxa floss processed from dried mugwort leaves that is ignited during moxibustion.As the main material used in moxibustion, the quality of moxa floss has a direct bearing on the safety and quality of moxibustion.Moxa floss is characterized by its richly organoleptic colour and odour attributes.The use of instrumental techniques such as the spectrophotometer and electronic nose to quantify the organoleptic character of moxa floss is of particular interest and importance in the quality evaluation and control of moxibustion materials.Traditional moxibustion devices are usually wooden boxes holding ignited moxa floss placed on or secured to the body surface.Some of the issues concerning the use of moxibustion devices in clinical practice largely include reports of adverse events such as burns and infections.Modern research on the quantitative sensory testing of the heat pain thresholds in normal volunteers and on hyperthermia therapy are important sources of reference when harmonizing the provision of thermal requirements for moxibustion devices.The development of relevant standards related to moxibustion products, on the basis of high quality research, will invariably provide safety and quality assurance of moxibustion in clinical usage.More importantly, standards of moxibustion must be used once published to be relevant to the industry.