Cupping is the modern term for an ancient medical treatment popular in Asian and Arab cultures. In the spectrum of holistic or alternative medicine, cupping is in the same region as acupuncture, bloodletting and acupressure. Many times, these different techniques are used in combination for maximum benefit.

Original practitioners of cupping used animal horns, leading to the reference 'horn treatment' in some sources. These horns would be heated briefly with matches or paper and placed directly on a patient's traditional acupuncture points or source of pain. The heated air inside the horn would create a low pressure area, drawing the skin inside. Later practitioners use cups made from bamboo or clay, but the basic technique remains the same.

Cupping creates a series of blood-infused raised sections on a patient's flesh. It is believed that this creates a negative energy flow which can counteract the current state of stagnation. Cupping creates significant bruising directly under the cups themselves, and there is a small risk of burns from the heating process. Some practitioners use lubricants to allow the cups to be moved across the patient's body, although never across bony structures such as the spine.

During the 20th century, specially-designed glass cups generally replaced the less reliable bamboo and pottery cups. Bamboo tends to weaken over time, especially when combined with steam used to create 'wet energy'. Ceramic cups tend to break easily, especially during treatments. Glass cups provide a sturdy material and a smoother surface for the gliding form of cupping.

An even more recent innovation in the world of cupping is a cold suction method. Instead of creating a vacuum through heat, modern cupping sets use glass or plastic cups equipped with one-way valves. As the cups are placed on the patient, a hand-held pump draws out the air through the valves. The clarity of the glass allows the cupping practitioner to gauge the intensity of the suction and evaluate the energy level of the patient.

Cupping is most often used to alleviate symptoms of systemic diseases and conditions such as asthma, arthritis, bronchitis and abdominal pains. Some patients also seek treatment for neuromuscular or muscularskeletal ailments, since the cupping process draws up skin and some subcutaneous muscle layers. Cupping is often used to enhance a previous acupuncture treatment or in conjunction with a bloodletting procedure. Few studies by Western medical practitioners have ever demonstrated a medical benefit from cupping, but many believers claim a sense of restored energy and pain reduction following treatment.