Hijama & Cupping
Hijama and cupping fundamentally share the same ancient technique where cups are placed on the skin to create a vacuum. The main difference is that cupping is an umbrella term for various treatments (such as massages) where the cups remain on the skin, whereas hijama is a specific, traditional form of wet cupping.
Dry Cupping
The cups are placed on the skin and left for a few minutes or moved across the skin (cupping massage).
Purpose: Stimulating blood circulation, releasing adhesions, and draining waste products and fluids from the muscles.
Effect: The skin is not punctured. However, it often leaves round red or purple marks that disappear on their own after a few days.
Wet Cupping (Hijama)
The cups are first briefly placed on the skin to create a vacuum. They are then briefly removed to make tiny, superficial scratches or pinpricks in the skin. The cup is then replaced and suction is reapplied to collect damaged blood cells and impurities.
Purpose: Traditionally 'cleansing' the body (a detox).
It is frequently used for pain complaints, sports injuries, fatigue, and as a preventive medicine.
The term 'hijama' is Arabic for 'sucking'. The method has a rich history in traditional (Chinese, Arabic, Greek, and ancient Egyptian) medicine, and is strongly recommended within the Islamic tradition to be performed at least once a year, usually in the spring during mild weather.
All forms of hijama are cupping, but cupping is not always hijama.
Cupping primarily focuses on massage and muscle relaxation, whereas hijama specifically focuses on drawing out blood via superficial scratches in the skin.
