The history of hijama: 3,000 years of cupping
Short answer: no single person invented cupping. It appears independently in ancient Egypt, Greece, China and India, using animal horns, gourds and later glass and bronze cups. It became a Sunnah through the Prophet ﷺ, was refined by physicians of the Islamic golden age such as Ibn Sina and al-Zahrawi, and lives on today in Unani medicine — the tradition our clinic practises — and in sports medicine worldwide.
- Where cupping began
- Hijama in the Sunnah and Islamic medicine
- Unani medicine in India today
Cupping through the ages
From hollow horns to sterile single-use cups.
- c. 1550 BCAncient Egypt
The Ebers Papyrus, one of the oldest medical texts, is often cited as an early record of drawing out blood for treatment.
- c. 400 BCAncient Greece
Hippocrates described cupping; bronze cupping vessels became a symbol of the Greek physician. Galen later used it widely.
- c. 300 ADChina
The physician Ge Hong described the “horn method” — cupping with animal horns — later replaced by bamboo and glass cups.
- Ancient IndiaAyurveda
The Sushruta Samhita describes raktamokshana, including blood-letting with a horn (shringa) and a gourd (alabu).
- 7th centuryThe Sunnah
The Prophet ﷺ was cupped and called cupping among the best remedies (Sahih al-Bukhari 5696).
- 10th–11th c.Islamic golden age
Al-Zahrawi (Albucasis) illustrated cupping instruments; Ibn Sina set out cupping in The Canon of Medicine.
- 13th–19th c.Unani medicine in India
Greek-Arabic (Unani) medicine reached India and flourished under the Delhi Sultanate and Mughals.
- TodayRecognised and researched
Unani is a recognised system under India’s Ministry of AYUSH; cupping is studied in hundreds of clinical trials.
- 2016Rio Olympics
Swimmers including Michael Phelps competed with cupping marks — and the world noticed.
One idea, many birthplaces
Cupping did not spread from a single inventor. Different cultures found the same idea: drawing, rather than pressing, helps the body.
- Egyptian medical papyri
- Hippocrates and Galen in Greece and Rome
- Bronze and glass cups
- Carried into Arabic medicine
- Horn cupping described by Ge Hong
- Bamboo, then glass cups
- Fire cupping developed here
- Still part of Chinese medicine
- Ayurveda: horn and gourd methods
- Unani hijama from the Islamic world
- Both practised in India today
- Unani taught in Indian medical colleges
Hijama in the Sunnah and the Islamic golden age
In Islam, hijama gained a special status: the Prophet ﷺ was cupped, paid his cupper Abu Taiba, and was cupped while fasting and in Ihram (Sahih al-Bukhari 5696 and 1938). Muslim physicians then built on Greek and Persian knowledge — al-Zahrawi drew cupping instruments in his surgical encyclopedia, and Ibn Sina explained when and where to cup in The Canon of Medicine, a textbook used for centuries in both East and West.
Read the hadith with references and gradings on hijama in Islam, and find the next Sunnah dates.
Unani: the tradition our clinic practises
Unani (from Yunani, “Greek”) is the Greek-Arabic system of medicine built on Hippocrates, Galen and Ibn Sina. In Unani, cupping — ilaj bil hijamah — is one of the classic regimental therapies, used to restore balance and relieve pain.
India is today the world’s leading home of Unani medicine, with degree courses (B.U.M.S.), research councils and government hospitals. Dr. Saeedul Hasan Siddiqui trained in this tradition at Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi (B.I.M.S., 1981).
- Greek-Arabic roots: Hippocrates, Galen, Ibn Sina
- Hijama is a classic Unani regimental therapy
- Recognised under India’s Ministry of AYUSH
- Our clinic: 40+ years of Unani hijama in Delhi
How cupping has changed
| In history | At our clinic today | |
|---|---|---|
| Cups | Animal horns, gourds, bamboo, bronze, glass | Sealed single-use plastic cups with hand pumps |
| Suction | Mouth suction or fire | Precise, adjustable pump suction |
| Scratches (wet cupping) | Knives and lancets | Sterile single-use blades, superficial only |
| Who decides | The cupper | A doctor’s examination every time |
| Hygiene | Varied | Gloves, gowns, clinical-waste disposal |
| Aftercare | Word of mouth | Written aftercare and phone support |
From ancient remedy to sports medicine
Cupping never disappeared, but the 2016 Rio Olympics brought it to the world’s screens, when swimmers competed with its round marks on their shoulders. Since then, physiotherapists and athletes worldwide have adopted it for recovery — and research has grown with it.
At our clinic you get the same 3,000-year-old technique, with today’s hygiene and a doctor’s judgement.
- Used by elite and Olympic athletes
- Studied in hundreds of clinical trials
- Single-use equipment, doctor-supervised
History of hijama — your questions
Who invented cupping therapy?
No single person. It developed independently in ancient Egypt, Greece, China and India, more than 3,000 years ago.
Where did hijama originate?
Cupping is far older than Islam; hijama is its Arabic name, and it became a Sunnah through the practice of the Prophet ﷺ.
Is cupping part of Ayurveda?
Yes — the Sushruta Samhita describes blood-letting with a horn (shringa) and a gourd (alabu) as forms of raktamokshana.
What is Unani medicine?
The Greek-Arabic system of medicine built on Hippocrates, Galen and Ibn Sina, recognised in India under the Ministry of AYUSH.
What did Ibn Sina say about cupping?
He set out cupping in The Canon of Medicine, including when and where it should be done.
Is Chinese cupping the same as hijama?
Both use suction cups. Chinese practice is mostly dry and fire cupping; hijama usually means wet cupping.
Why did cupping become famous recently?
Olympic swimmers showed cupping marks at Rio 2016, and athletes and physiotherapists adopted it widely.
Is the old method the same as today?
The principle is the same; the tools are not. We use sealed single-use cups and sterile blades after a doctor’s examination.
Experience a 3,000-year-old therapy
Book a free consultation with a Unani-trained doctor — 100 m from Okhla Vihar metro.