WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre publishes a working paper on how cupping therapy training is organised
21 October 2026
The World Health Organization published a working paper titled Cupping therapy: descriptive synthesis of training, prepared by the Global Traditional Medicine Centre. The 30-page paper gives an evidence-informed overview of how cupping therapy training is reported and organised across settings within traditional, complementary and integrative medicine. Drawing mainly on a systematic scoping review, it describes reported training pathways and curriculum content, competency domains and learning outcomes, approaches to delivery and assessment, trainer qualifications, and training facilities and accreditation arrangements. The analysis focuses mainly on cupping based on traditional Chinese medicine, while acknowledging the wider diversity of cupping practices across medical systems. The paper is intended as a descriptive and non-normative reference for policy-makers, regulators, education and accreditation bodies, health professionals, researchers and practitioners. It carries ISBN 9789240125964 and is issued under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO licence.
In plain words
Cupping therapy Cupping therapy — A traditional practice in which suction cups are applied to the skin, used in several systems of traditional medicine.
Scoping review Systematic scoping review — A structured survey of the existing literature that maps what evidence exists on a topic rather than testing a single hypothesis.