'autohemotherapy' originates from Neo-Latin/modern medical formation, specifically the Greek-derived elements 'auto-' (from Greek 'autós'), 'haemo-' (from Greek 'haima'), and 'therapy' (from Greek 'therapeia'), where 'auto-' meant 'self', 'haima' meant 'blood', and 'therapeia' meant 'treatment'.

'autohemotherapy' changed from earlier formations such as the British-spelled 'autohaemotherapy' (reflecting 'haemo-') and from Neo-Latin/medical coinages combining 'auto-' + 'haemo-' + '-therapy', and eventually settled into the modern English form 'autohemotherapy'.

Initially it literally meant 'self-blood treatment'; over time the core sense has remained 'treatment using one's own blood', though its use has broadened to include both mainstream autologous procedures and alternative-medicine practices.