Hijama (wet cupping)

Updated October 2026 · 8 min read

What it is

Hijama (الحجامة) is one of the best known practices of traditional Islamic medicine. A cup is placed on the skin and the air inside is removed to create suction. In wet cupping the practitioner then makes a few very shallow cuts on the skin and applies the cup again to draw out a small amount of blood, usually well under a cup of blood in total. In dry cupping there are no cuts.

Wet cupping is often called "bloodletting", but it is not the same as the historical practice of opening a vein and removing large amounts of blood. Hijama works only on the surface of the skin.

What the classical physicians said

Cupping is much older than Islam, but the physicians of the Islamic world described it with care. Al-Zahrawi (Albucasis), the great surgeon of Cordoba, gave cupping its own section in his encyclopedia al-Tasrif. Ibn Sina covers it in the Canon of Medicine, separating wet from dry cupping, naming the places on the body where cups are placed and saying who it suits and who it does not. The classical physicians also held that the humors move more freely in the middle of the lunar month, which is why many practitioners book sessions then. Sihha Fit shows today's Hijri date next to the Gregorian one, so you can see where you are in the month.

Traditional benefits

Classical physicians explained hijama as drawing out "excess" or stagnant blood from the surface of the body and so relieving the whole person. In that tradition it is used for:

• headaches and heaviness in the head
• neck, shoulder, back and joint pain
• fatigue and a general feeling of sluggishness
• high blood pressure and a sense of "pressure" in the body

This is a traditional explanation, not a modern physiological one. The sections below say how much of it the research supports.

Does it regulate blood pressure?

Possibly, in the short term, but the evidence is weak. A few small clinical trials and some reviews report that blood pressure fell after wet cupping in people with high blood pressure. The studies are small, often short and often poorly controlled, so we cannot say how large the effect is or how long it lasts. Some of the drop may come from rest and relaxation during the session, or from the small loss of blood volume itself.

The honest summary: hijama has not been shown to be a treatment for hypertension. Never stop or reduce blood pressure medication because of cupping, and keep measuring your blood pressure at home.

Does it help with fatigue?

Many people say they feel lighter, more energetic and less tired after a session, and this is one of the most common reasons people go back for more. Research on fatigue specifically is very limited. The more solid findings are about pain: several systematic reviews found that wet and dry cupping may reduce chronic neck pain, low back pain and knee osteoarthritis pain in the short term. The authors rate the certainty of those findings as low, mainly because it is hard to run a proper blinded trial of cupping.

Part of the benefit people feel may come from rest, touch, time set aside for yourself and the expectation of feeling better. That does not make the experience unreal, but it is a reason to stay realistic.

Who should be careful

Speak to your doctor first if any of these apply to you:

• anaemia or low iron, or you donate blood regularly
• blood thinners, or a bleeding or clotting disorder
• low blood pressure, heart or kidney disease, or diabetes
• pregnancy
• skin infections, or an illness with fever
• children and the elderly

If you are fasting, scholars have differed on whether cupping breaks the fast, and it can leave you light-headed. Many people schedule it after iftar. Ask a scholar you trust and your doctor.

How to do it safely

• Use a trained and licensed practitioner. Hijama done badly can spread hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.
• Everything that touches blood must be single-use and sterile: blades, cups or cup liners, and gloves. Reusing cups between people is a red flag.
• Eat lightly and drink water beforehand and afterwards.
• Expect circular marks for a few days. Keep the area clean and watch for redness, swelling, pus or fever.
• Take the rest of the day gently. Skip heavy training on the day of the session, then return to your plan when you feel normal.