Acupuncture Times Your guide to acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and TCM — explore acupoints, herbs and formulas, plus the latest acupuncture research news.
Related Articles
Plaque psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that can significantly affect quality of life. Narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy is a well-established conventional treatment, while sliding cupping — a traditional Chinese medicine technique involving a moving cup applied to skin lesions until the area reddens — has historically been used for this condition but lacked rigorous clinical evidence.
This randomised controlled trial enrolled 60 patients with plaque psoriasis, dividing them into two groups: one receiving sliding cupping three times per week and the other receiving narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy on the same schedule. Both treatment periods lasted eight weeks, with follow-up continuing to week 12. The primary measure of success was the percentage reduction in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score, alongside secondary measures including body surface area affected, physician global assessment, pain scores, and quality of life.
At eight weeks, both groups showed meaningful reductions across all disease severity measures. The sliding cupping group achieved a mean Psoriasis Area and Severity Index reduction of around 62%, while the narrowband ultraviolet B group achieved approximately 67%, with no statistically significant difference between them. Response rates and safety profiles were also broadly similar between groups, and these findings were maintained at the twelve-week follow-up assessment.
The study was small and conducted at a single centre, which limits how broadly the findings can be generalised.
Conclusion: This trial suggests sliding cupping therapy may offer a clinically comparable alternative to narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy for plaque psoriasis, though larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Source: Liu J, Guo S, Tan J and colleagues. Medicine (2026). View on PubMed (PMID 41861208) · doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000048111
