Gua sha
| Gua sha | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Skin showing characteristic petechiae after gua sha treatment | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 刮痧 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "scraping sha-bruises" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Vietnamese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vietnamese alphabet | cạo gió | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chữ Nôm | 𠜯䬔 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | to scrape wind | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indonesian name | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indonesian | kerokan | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Alternative medicine |
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Gua sha or scraping therapy is a pseudoscientific practice in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in which an object is used to scrape the skin, for purported wide-ranging therapeutic benefits. Gua sha has been used for centuries across East and Southeast Asia.
The practice is known by various names in English, such as "spooning," "coining," and in French as tribo-effleurage (friction-stroking). While it is widely practiced for pain relief, relaxation, and treating symptoms like colds or fatigue, gua sha can cause adverse effects, ranging from mild skin irritation to rare but severe complications.