Where did acupuncture originate?

It is uncertain exactly where acupuncture originated or who is responsible for its development. It is now widely believed that acupuncture arose in many different cultures around the world many millennia ago.

The Oetzi iceman discovered recently in the Tyrolean Alps died 5200 hundred years ago. His body had several distinct tattoo marks that coincided with particular acupuncture points used for treating sciatica.

The Balangoda Man, ancient settlers that inhabited the Hill Country of Sri Lanka beginning 37,000 years ago, developed pointed needles of quartz, flint, bone, chert, antlers and other materials that were almost certainly used for acupuncture type therapies. Acupuncture-related practices have been well preserved in ola leaf manuscripts (ancient Sri Lankan books) and described in Sinhala, the native tongue, as nila vidum shastraya.

The most thoroughly recorded evidence of acupuncture stems from China, where it has been practiced prolifically for 3,000 years. The Chinese have developed complex theories and philosophies of acupuncture that form the foundation of their traditional medical system. Without argument, they been the most influential in developing this unique form of medicine into what it is today.