Cupping therapy is a form of alternative medicine in which cups are placed on the skin to create suction the cups can be made of a variety of materials including glass bamboo earthenware supporters of cupping therapy believe the suction of the cups mobilizesblood flow to promote the healing of a broad range of medical ailments cupping therapy dates back to ancient egyptian chinese and middle eastern cultures one of the oldest medical textbooks in the world theebers papyrus descr