[The origin and development of ointment rubbing]

Ointment rubbing therapy, as an external therapy of traditional Chinese medicine, combines massage techniques with ointment as medium and has been used in the treatment of internal and external medicine, gynecological, pediatric, androgenic and orthopedic conditions. This therapy originated from the Pre-Qin periods and was fully developed in the Song, Jin and Yuan dynasties. It is still often seen today because it was widely used by physicians in previous dynasties. However, it was not fully passed on and is not well known currently because many books and monographs related to it cannot be found and many of its ancient prescriptions have not been explored. This paper traces the origin of ointment rubbing therapy and summarises its characteristics and representative ancient books in each historical period, in order to provide references for research of ointment rubbing therapy.