What does the purple-black color of cupping mean

I believe many friends have tried cupping before, and cupping does have certain health benefits for the human body. However, many friends find that the color of the cupping marks after cupping is very abnormal. Sometimes it appears purple, sometimes the color is very dark, or even purple-black. In fact, different colors of cupping marks indicate that you have different problems in your body. So what does the purple and black color of cupping mean?

1. The cupping mark is tight, black and dark: it generally indicates blood stasis in the body, such as dysmenorrhea or insufficient blood supply to the heart, and this mark will also appear if the affected area is severely exposed to cold. If the marks do not disappear after several days, it usually means that the disease has been going on for a long time and it will take a long time to cure. If large areas of black and purple marks appear when cupping, it indicates that a large area has been affected by the wind and cold and the treatment should be mainly symptomatic and cold-dispelling.

2. Purple marks from the cupping area accompanied by plaques generally indicate local cold and blood stasis.

3. The cupping marks appear as scattered purple dots of varying depths, generally indicating qi stagnation and blood stasis.

4. Pale purple skin with plaques generally indicates deficiency syndrome with blood stasis. If the spots are obvious at the acupoints, it indicates weakness of the related internal organs. For example, if they appear at the Shenshu acupoints, it indicates kidney deficiency.

5. The cupping marks are bright red and usually indicate Yin deficiency or Qi and Yin deficiency. Yin deficiency and hyperactivity of fire may also occur.

6. The cupping marks are bright red and scattered, usually appearing after cupping over a large area. They do not protrude above the skin. If they are concentrated on a certain acupoint or its vicinity, it indicates that the internal organs related to this acupoint are abnormal or there is a disease. In clinical practice, I often use cupping to find such red spots and use acupuncture to treat and regulate visceral functions.

Generally speaking, Western medicine believes that cupping can cause local blood congestion and even local capillary bleeding, which can easily lead to local purple and black spots. However, Chinese medicine theory often believes that the purple and black spots caused by cupping are signs that cold air is being forced out of the body, which is a good phenomenon. It is recommended that you continue cupping if you feel the effect is good.

Now that you know what the purple-black color from cupping means, there is one more thing that needs to be explained. Although cupping is indeed good for our body, it is not suitable for everyone. For example, pregnant women and women during menstruation should be careful not to cupping, and care should be taken to avoid burns to the skin when cupping.