Cupping bá guàn · 拔罐

Glass, bamboo or plastic cups are held to the skin by suction — classically created with a flame, now often with a hand pump — creating a local pull on tissue. Sessions last five to fifteen minutes and typically leave circular marks that fade over three to ten days.

The marks are the most-asked-about part: they come from capillaries under suction, not from "toxins being drawn out". Wet cupping, which involves small skin incisions and blood, carries higher infection risk and requires proper hygiene and training.