Cupping therapy is an ancient form of alternative medicine whose benefits make it still active today. It dates back to ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern cultures. One of the oldest medical textbooks in the world describes how the ancient Egyptians used cupping therapy for treating fever, pain, vertigo, menstrual problems, and other ailments. In traditional Chinese medicine, it's closely linked to acupuncture. Prophet Muhammad also recommended cupping in his writings, where it was called hijama. Originally, hollowed-out animal horns were used to treat boils and suck out venom from snake bites. Eventually, horns were replaced by bamboo and then by glass cups.
In the old days, the healer would place heated cups on the body, creating a vacuum and causing suction. This was usually done on the patient’s back. The healers put a flammable substance such as alcohol inside a cup and set it on fire. As the fire went out, they put the cup upside down on the skin. When the air inside the cup cooled, it created a vacuum. This caused the skin to rise and redden as blood vessels expanded. Primarily, cupping cups were used for colds. Nowadays, cupping sets have been modernised and glass cupping cups have been replaced mainly by silicone cupping cups.
mmr-00189 > Cupping jars, 20th century
You can see this exhibit up close, along with many others, in the 1st-floor exhibition room of CVAR.
