Cupping therapy is an important part of traditional Chinese medicine

and its efficacy has been gradually accepted and confirmed by modern clinical medicine

but its physiological mechanisms have no consensus. In the present paper

we summarized the related mechanisms from results of both domestic and international researches which include 1) blood circulation promotion theory

2) neurological reflex theory

3) gate theory of pain

4) inflammation-immune reaction theory and 5) skin tension increase theory. We also reviewed progresses of clinical researches about application of cupping therapy to cardiovascular diseases

chronic musculoskeletal pain

migraine and other painful symptoms

as well as arthritis which effects involve the above mentioned blood-circulation promotion

tension-increase

gate theory and inflammation-immune reaction

respectively. We believe that the mechanisms of cupping therapy are not independent and should be explored further from different perspectives.