What is Gua Sha (Guasha)?

Gua Sha (Guasha) is one traditional Chinese Medical Treatment. Visit a Gua Sha (Guasha) practitioner or engage in self-care to enjoy the many healing benefits of this ancient practice. By simply increasing circulation and bringing blood to the surface of the body, you can fight inflammation, increase your immune system resilience, and treat a wide variety of diseases.
Gua sha (Guasha) roughly translates into English as ‘scraping away fever’. The traditional Chinese practice of Gua Sha involves stroking the skin with a stiff instrument made of stone, jade, bone, or horn. Chinese people use these devices and techniques in homes and clinics to treat a variety of conditions.
Gua sha (Guasha) is similar to massage and acupressure, but it focuses directly on increasing blood flow beneath the surface of the skin. This heightened circulation can lead to a number of noticeable healing effects in the body.
In recent decades, Western physicians and patients have begun studying and using gua sha. Today’s researchers have found scientific explanations for gua sha’s anti-inflammatory and immune boosting effects, which may last for days and counteract a number of symptoms and diseases.
Researchers have shown that gua sha causes a dramatic increase in circulation in the soft tissues under the skin. Additionally, a Harvard study (conducted on mice) found that gua sha encourages cells to create heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). A potent cytoprotectant and antioxidant, HO-1 also fights inflammation.
The benefits of Gua Sha seem to occur after blood is brought to the surface of the body during the treatment. As the body reabsorbs this blood, it breaks down hemoglobin, triggering the production and release of HO-1 and its catalysates: bilirubin, biliverdin, and carbon monoxide. These potent chemicals fight infection, inflammation, and a number of other diseases.