This therapy has a long history within Chinese medicine, however, its early uses were fairly limited in scope and was mainly used for drawing out pus and blood from sores and wounds during surgery.
Today, however, it has been refined and is used for multiple functions. The most common of these being to invigorate the flow of Qi and Blood, relieving Qi stagnation and Blood stasis, dispersing damp and cold pathogens, coughing and asthma, and for various pain syndromes, some of which include:
- Muscular aches and pain
- Muscle sprain and tension
- Stomach ache and abdominal pain
- Dysmenorrhoea (period pain)
Today, the common types of cupping jars used during treatment are made from either bamboo, glass, ceramic or plastic. There are a variety of methods used to apply the jars, with the most commnly used being static, moving or flash (rapid application and removal) cupping.