Acupuncture and the meridian system have a long history dating back more than 2,500 years. Acupuncture is one of the oldest practices of traditional Chinese medicine, along with moxibustion, which is a heat therapy that also affects Qi.
Although it is unclear whether acupuncture originated in China, its practice is well documented. The oldest ancient text that refers to acupuncture dates back to 100 BC, while other texts date back to 600-500 BC and otherwise refer to acupuncture points without procedures. Archaeologists have found artifacts of gold and silver acupuncture needles in ancient tombs. The needles and the mentioned texts are the first documentation of the already established practice at the time.
Nevertheless, the dating of acupuncture is disputed. An ancient mummy known as Ötzi the Iceman was found in the Ötztal Alps and dates to around 3300 BC, in the Bronze Age. His body bears tattoos corresponding to meridian points on the lower back. Some archaeologists regard this as evidence of acupuncture practice, but without further documentation we cannot know for certain.
There are even theories suggesting that shiatsu, a non-invasive form of acupuncture, dates back to the Neolithic period. But without additional texts we can only theorize about it. Regardless, by the 4th century AD most modern acupuncture points had been identified and documented. The ruling class of medieval Chinese society used acupuncture. Emperors of many dynasties even kept acupuncturists in their homes. Medieval Chinese medical schools even taught and conducted courses in acupuncture and the meridian system. During the Ming Dynasty, the "Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion" established most of the acupuncture practices that are still used today.
Around the 13th century, however, acupuncture began to decline. It began to be associated with mysticism and regarded as a less legitimate practice. For modern scientific medicine, acupuncture in China has become known as a lost art. Around this time, acupuncture began to be used in Europe. Despite this, Western medicine has viewed acupuncture rather suspiciously. The focus on energy and symbolic systems seemed too superstitious. By the middle of the 19th century, Western interest in acupuncture had waned considerably.
It was not until the mid-20th century that acupuncture made a comeback. Mao Zedong endorsed acupuncture, which united Communist China through shared cultural history. By the 1950s, Chinese hospitals were already using acupuncture. Modern research has also begun to study acupuncture from a rational, scientific point of view. In 1997, the National Institutes of Health recommended acupuncture as a complementary treatment. Since then, acupuncture has become the most popular alternative medicine in the United States.