I had been looking on the internet for any information I could find about how to prepare moxa and was just thrilled to see your course offered exact methodology on the subject . . . . . I live in CT and have a patient who claims to have many such plants in his backyard. With the cost of Golden Moxa from Japan so expensive it has now become cost prohibitive for use in my practice. My questions are several, first being is the Mugwort in CT potent and similar to Californian Mugwort? 2. is there any way to speed up the 3 year process of sun drying and will it have a deleterious effect on the final product if I use a desiccator? In the northeast is May still the best time to harvest the leaves? Can they be harvested in the Fall without jeopordizing the potency?

Thanks for your input.   By the way, I thought your course brillant and very well presented.

The following is a response from Amy Hazard to the previous post:

Hi Dr. Lerner,
    Thank you for your interest in mugwort! I believe that your variety in CT may be Artemisia vulgaris however I do not have a local plant guide for Connecticut.  Your variety can be used in the same way as California's mugwort so the class is pertinent to your mugwort.  However, if your client has actually planted California mugwort and it is growing well then you may use that as well.  And yes, Artemisia vulgaris is just as potent and is very similar.  The difference would mostly be in the internal essential oil uses because the constituents differ slightly. The moxa uses would be the same except your variety is more similar to the chinese mugwort.  It will not have a deleterious effect to use a desiccator however I do not believe that it would impart the yang energy that the traditional sun drying would. What would impart that thought in my opinion is either a food dehydrator (the kind with trays and electric heating) or a solar food dehydrator.  If you consider that the main form of drying before modern dehydrators was in the sun it makes sense that the chinese would have to wait 3 years for the sun to bake out all of the essential oils. Due to modern technology we can artificially heat up the leaves enough to evaporate out all the oils.  Now the desiccator will evaporate out the water but not all of the volatile oils so its important to apply low heat! If all else fails you can create an artificial food dehydrator by putting the leaves on cookie trays and baking on your ovens lowest setting for 3 to 6 hours of course checking occasionally to make sure they arent crisping!! Remember, the point of the "Gold moxa" is that it is totally devoid of any green leafy plant matter that may contain volatile oils. The fibers alone as moxa burn less hot and may therefore be used for direct moxa, or smoke sensitive patients.  Although my homemade moxa isn't bright yellow (its a whitish cream color) it is, in my opinion, superior to the gold moxa Ive bought from China or Japan.  I use a food dehydrator and coffee grinder and can make it in a few days!! Good luck and thank you for your interest! Oh and yes, May is still the best time. Basically anytime before it flowers in the spring or even June.  They can be harvested in the fall, I have done this, but the leaves are smaller usually and there seems to be less fiber (wool) and tradition states it is less optimal in terms of the yang energy. However, I believe they may be harvested anytime for moxa with the possibility that it will be a slightly less yang warming moxa! 
Thank you again,
Amy Hazard, L.Ac