Although many consider the Chinese to be the inventors of cupping therapy, early pictographic records suggest that it is the ancient Egyptians who invented this technique around 1500 B.C.

The Ebers Papyrus (one of the oldest medical textbooks known) mentions the use of cupping by the ancient Egyptians for treating various ailments such as menstrual imbalances, weakened appetite, fever, vertigo and pain. Drawings of cupping were also discovered on the Temple of Kom Ombo near Luxor. Kom Ombo is regarded as one of the most ancient cities of Egypt.

In the Chinese tradition, the evidence of the use of cupping therapy can be traced back to the early Han Dynasty. Ge Hong, a famous herbalist and alchemist during the Jin Dynasty, is considered the first to use this technique in China. He strongly believed that “with cupping and acupuncture combined, more than half of the ills can be cured”.

There is also evidence that cupping therapy was used in ancient Greece and in the ancient Islamic world, and that it made its way to European countries between the 14th and 17th centuries, during the Renaissance era.

The history of Chinese cupping dates back from the year 281 AD. During those times, Ge Hong and other medicine men used animal horns for cupping.

During the Tang Dynasty, horn cupping was the principal treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis. It was also used in conjunction with acupuncture and moxibustion. In fact, the three ancient medical practices became the standard treatment for chronic pulmonary diseases during the reign of the Tang Dynasty.

The ascension of the Qing Dynasty to the Imperial throne of China saw the emergence of other tools used for cupping. Qing doctors experimented with bamboo cups and ceramic pottery. The practice came to be known as the fire jar qi.

With the passage of time, cupping therapy evolved. Animal horns were slowly replaced by bamboo cups and ceramic pottery, which were then replaced with glass, metal and medical-grade silicone cups.

In modern mainland China, the development of cupping therapy has been rapid. In the 1950’s, the clinical efficacy of cupping was confirmed by the co-research of Chinese doctors and former Soviet Union acupuncturists, and has since been established as an official therapeutic practice in hospitals all over China.

Although fire cupping methods have evolved over time, the basic philosophy behind this ancient alternative healing practice has remained the same: to strengthen or activate the body’s natural self-healing powers, at times when they are not able to do so on their own.

Fire cupping therapy involves producing a local suction on the skin by means of creating negative pressure inside a glass cup with the use of heat (fire). The underlying skin is sucked or raised partway into the cup. As a result, fascial adhesions are broken down, and blood flow to the affected area is enhanced. This effect in turn activates the immune system, flushes the area of metabolic toxins, removes old and stagnant blood, and stretches the fascial tissue.

The effect of enhancing circulation of Qi and blood flushes the local muscle and fascia with freshly oxygenated blood, which helps ease pain, tension and stiffness, and restore range of motion.

The suction also helps draw out and eliminate pathogenic factors such as wind, cold, dampness and heat. By strengthening the immune system in this way, fire cupping is known to treat respiratory illnesses such as chest tightness, shortness of breath, asthma, wheezing, common colds, cough, bronchitis and pneumonia.