Gua sha

Gua sha
Skin showing characteristic petechiae after gua sha treatment
Chinese name
Chinese	刮痧
Literal meaning	"scraping sha-bruises"
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin guā shā IPA [kwá.ʂá] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization gwaat-sāa Jyutping gwaat3-saa1 IPA [kʷat̚˧.sa˥] Southern Min Hokkien POJ [掠痧lia̍h-soa / 剾痧khau-soa] Error: {{Transliteration}}: transliteration text not Latin script (pos 1: 掠) (help) Tâi-lô [掠痧lia̍h-sua / 剾痧khau-sua] Error: {{Transliteration}}: transliteration text not Latin script (pos 1: 掠) (help)
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabet	cạo gió
Chữ Nôm	𠜯䬔
Literal meaning	to scrape wind
Indonesian name
Indonesian	kerokan

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Traditional medicine African Muti Southern Africa Ayurveda Dosha MVAH Balneotherapy Brazilian Bush medicine Cambodian Chinese Blood stasis Chinese herbology Dit da Gua sha Gill plate trade Long gu Meridian Moxibustion Pressure point Qi San Jiao Tui na Zang-fu Chumash Curandero Faith healing Herbal medicine Hilot Iranian Jamu Kayakalpa Kambo Japanese Korean Maya Mien Shiang Mongolian Naftalan oil Prophetic medicine Shamanism Shiatsu Siddha Sri Lankan Thai massage Tibetan Unani Vietnamese
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Gua sha or scraping therapy is a type of pseudomedicine in which an object is used to scrape the skin, for claimed wide-ranging therapeutic benefits. Such claims are not supported by evidence.^[1] Gua sha is rooted in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and 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).^[2] 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.