Coin rubbing

Authors: Prof. Dr. med. Peter Altmeyer, Prof. Dr. med. Martina Bacharach-Buhles

All authors of this article

Last updated on: 29.10.2020

Dieser Artikel auf Deutsch

Synonym(s)

cao gio; Gua Sha; Kerikan; Kerokan; Spooning; tribo effleurage

Definition
This section has been translated automatically.

Coin rubbing (Gua Sha Chinese) is a folk medicine treatment method practiced in China and Southeast Asia that is used for general health disorders.

Coin rubbing is also often used by users of traditional Chinese medicine. In this therapeutic application, a rounded edge of a porcelain spoon, coin or the like is used to scrape several times over a previously oiled area of the skin until a distinct discoloration and bleeding of the skin occurs. The pre-treatment is done with various substances such as camphor, menthol, cajeput oil as contained in the Tiger Balm.

The dermal bleeding usually persists for 2 to 4 days. Typically, patients experience immediate relief and change. A clinical effectiveness of the procedure has not been scientifically proven.

The stripy skin bleeding caused by Gua Sha can easily be misinterpreted as a sign of physical abuse or as a disorder of blood clotting (Zuijlmans CW et al. 1996).

Note(s)
This section has been translated automatically.

Gua Sha (刮痧), composed of Gua (刮, "scraping") and Sha (痧, "acute disease"Gua Sha (刮痧), composed of Gua (刮, "scraping") and Sha (痧, "acute disease")

Literature
This section has been translated automatically.

  1. Zuijlman's CW et al (1996) Rubbing with a coin is not abuse. Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd 140:2552-2554.