GUA SHA (刮 痧) is a form of traditional Chinese therapy, based on the TCM theory of meridians. It is also known as coining, spooning or scraping. The first written records of GuaSha dates back 700 years to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). From China, Chinese immigrants probably brought it to various parts of the world including South East Asia.
In Vietnam it is known as Cao Gio (scrape wind) & has its roots in the disappearing tradition of the so-called Buddhist Wandering Monks. It is also practised widely in Laos (Khoud Lam), Cambodia (Kos Khyol), Thailand (Hak) & Indonesia (Kerokan or Kerik meaning ‘copper coin’) In many Asian countries, a copper coin is often used as a scraping instrument. But other materials were also used.
As it originated as a folk therapy, people scrape with whatever they can get their hands on. For example in China, people use Chinese porcelain spoons which has a nice rounded edge for scraping, and also animal horn, which is a material that can easily be worked into a scraping tool. Wood, bamboo, stone, coins and even lids of jars were used.
The term “Gua Sha” comprises two Chinese words: “Gua” means to rub or scrape, and “Sha” refers to the stagnant energy that causes excessive heat to build up within the body. Hence, the term GuaSha literally means the act of scraping to remove stagnant energy blockage. According to TCM theory, by bringing this heat to the skin surface, it releases the blocked energy and heat. During GuaSha, the skin is first lubriacted and then the skin is scraped with repeated pressured strokes using a smooth edged scraping tool in a single direction to produce light bruising, which often appears as purple or red spots known as petechiae or “Sha”.
So what is ‘Sha’? Sha is a word that’s unique to the Chinese language. It literally means “scraping the toxins” or “scraping toxic sands”. Sha is produced when the regular flow of Qi and Blood becomes stagnant or blocked. So think of Sha as toxic waste in the blood and bodily fluids that appears beneath the skin during the process of GuaSha. Sha can come in shades of pink, crimson, purple, purplish black & black. The Sha which appears usually takes between 2 to 5 days to fade away. During that period, you should drink lots of warm water to aid the body’s detoxification process.
GuaSha tools come in all sorts of shapes & sizes. They can be made from different types of materials and come in a bewildering variety of shapes & sizes. You can always buy specially made designs for specific areas of the body like the face. Leave that to the experts, they will know what they want. For new practitioners, I highly recommend the Fish Shape design for its versatility.
You can use all parts of it depending on which part of the body that you are scraping. Choose a GuaSha tool that’s made out of natural material. (Never choose those made of plastic). Some of the more popular material used includes Bian Stone (considered the best material), Jade, Rose Quartz, Stainless Steel and Buffalo Horn. My own personal preference is for Black Water Buffalo Horn which is easy to shape. holds a smooth polished edge, has detoxification properties plus more important, its affordability.
Finally the most important item, in my opinion, is your choice of Lubricant. Never GuaSha without any lubricant as it can hurt your skin. Traditionally, people have used various lubricating media including Water, Peanut Oil, Massage Oil and even Tiger Balm. My personal recommendation for those who wants to learn this natural therapy and achieve full health benefits is to use an appropriate high quality TCM Herbal Essential Oil.
From my years of practising GuaSha and training others in this skill, I can certainly attest that if you choose the right lubricant, 70 percent of your benefit is already there. The remainder 30% comes from learning where the meridian lines and acupressure points are and then learn how to GuaSha along these lines and points.
PS: Ladies, if you want to experience an instant Natural Botox, Facial Guasha is the instant and healthier way to achieve it.
If this writeup had piqued your interest and you would like to learn more about how to learn this ancient art of Natural Therapy, you can contact KID for more details on workshops, personal lessons or even a trial session of GuaSha.
