TIBETAN MEDICINE

An Alternative and Complementary Medicine Resource Guide

Contents:

   Introduction
   Books
   Education and Training in Tibetan Medicine
  Self-help and Referral Organizations
   Treatment and Research Centers

INTRODUCTION

Tibetan medicine is one of the world's oldest surviving medical traditions, preserved intact, but currently threatened by cultural and political upheaval. Tibetan medicine is primarily an oral and textual tradition, with knowledge and practice transmitted from teacher to pupil.

The philosophical basis of Tibetan medicine is rooted in Buddhism.  The historical Buddha Shakyamuni, sometimes called the Supreme Physician, is said to have first taught a healing system in India during the 6th century B.C.   In many of his teachings, the Buddha used disease and healing as metaphors to illustrate his philosophy of the human condition.  From the Buddhist perspective, physical illness is inextricably bound with mental, social and spiritual illness.   Thus, the Buddhist medical system is more than studies of anatomy, physiopathology and materia medica.  It is a guide to "right living" and involves the spiritual aspects of healing as well.

There are varying assessments of how far back the roots of Tibetan medicine can be traced.  Some people claim that it dates back to the 7th century AD, to the occasion of an international medical conference when physicians and scholars from India, China, Nepal, Byzantium, and Persia were invited to Tibet to discuss their healing traditions and translate their medical tests into Tibetan.  Others trace a 3000-year old tradition pre-dating Buddhism and reflecting the Bon medicine shamanistic traditions that still influence the practice of Tibetan medicine.

BASIC PRINCIPLES OF TIBETAN MEDICINE

The human body is composed of:
    Seven components - milk, blood, meat, fat, bone, marrow, and essence
    Three excreta - excrement, urine, and perspiration
    Three principles of energy - Lung, Tri-pa, and Badken

The correlation of the three activities is different for each individual and can serve as a basis for classifying human types or constitutions.

Like Ayurveda, Tibetan medicine views illness as the result of imbalances in the biological rhythm, or within the three principles of energy, seven components, and three excreta. When examining a patient, the practitioner begins by assessing the patient's constitution, which may be a combination of the three principles of energy. This examination includes observing the patient, making inquiries, and pulse-taking. Then, the practitioner determines a reason for the imbalance and implements a method of restoring balance. Of course, this brief explanation is an oversimplification and does not do justice to the full complexity of Tibetan medicine.

SCIENTIFIC AND CLINICAL RESEARCH

A vast body of medical literature on the Tibetan medical system has developed over the centuries, including the oldest surviving written system of medical psychiatry, an enormous herbal pharmacopoeia and a complete system of diagnosis and treatment.  The diverse and complex elements that constitute Tibetan medicine--its highly refined ethical principles, its philosophical and psychological structure--deserve serious attention, study, documentation, and preservation by the international scientific community. See TibetMed for further information.

Most of the clinical research trials on Tibetan herbal medicines are on westernized formulations based on traditional medications, and are used for western indications that are not necessarily recognized in Tibetan medicine. The formulations are directed towards the western patient who has little opportunity to consult with a Tibetan doctor since there are so few trained doctors and even fewer licensed to practice in the West.  Most published research has been carried out on the Padma formulations, now manufactured in Switzerland, and originally brought to the west by the Mongolian emchi-family Badmajew (refer to "Healing Herbs, the Heart of Tibetan Medicine" for more information).

Most of the clinical trials on Tibetan herbal formulations have been conducted in Europe and Israel using PADMA 28 and aconite-free PADMA 28, known in the United States as PADMA BASIC. The minute difference between the two formulas does not appear to change their action profile, and is consistent with the traditional Tibetan practice of adapting formulas. Both are derived from the ancient Gabur formula or "camphor formula", one of the many preparations that were reformulated and standardized at the turn of the 20^th century, based on information from monastery documents and lama doctors. As the formulas spread throughout the Himalayan region, the emchis (traditional Tibetan practitioners) were not always able to obtain the herbs used in the original formulas, so they substituted and added regional plants with the same properties. Consequently, the original formulas have continued to change and evolve.

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NOTE: The following resource listings are not intended to be comprehensive, nor to be used as a guide for treatment.   They are provided for information only.  The resources are selected and categorized to help you with your own research.

BOOKS

AUTHORITATIVE RESEARCH RESOURCES

Dr. Yeshi Dhonden Healing from the Source: The Science and Lore of Tibetan Medicine Snow Lion Publications, 2000 Dr. Dhonden presents the theory of Tibetan Medicine, using over 50 years of his teachings.

CASE STUDIES/OBSERVATIONAL DATA

FOLK/TRADITIONAL INFORMATION

John F. Avedon (Editor), Arthur M. Sackler Gallery The Buddha's Art of Healing: Tibetan Paintings Rediscovered Rizzoli Publications, 1998 This book presents the world's most important collection of Tibetan medical art, an illustrated 17th-century medical text known as The Atlas of Tibetan Medicine, created by the teacher and scholar Sangye Gyamtso, a regent of the Great Fifth Dalai Lama.

Parfionovitch, Meyer, and Gyurme Dorje (Eds.) Tibetan Medical Paintings Two volumes (1653-1705): Plates and Text Illustrations to the Blue Beryl Treatise of Sangye Gyamtso, the 76 medical paintings represent the complex and diverse richness of the traditional Tibetan medical system, explaining in great detail every stroke of the brush and every medicinal plant used in Tibetan medicine.

OTHER TIBETAN MEDICINE BOOK RESOURCES

Most Tibetan Medical books in English are out of print but may be found in specialized stores, such as the following three resources:

Indian Books Centre (IBC)-Sri Satguru Publications
http://www.indianbookscentre.com/
40/5, Shakti Nagar
Delhi-110 007
India
Phone: +91-11-27434930, +91-11-27126497
Fax: +91-11-27227336
Email: ibcindia@vsnl.com
The IBC has titles on Tibetan medicine that are available in Tibetan, English, and Hindi Sanskrit.  Their book list is updated regularly and their website is searchable by subject.

Potala
http://www.potala.com/
9 E. 36th Street
New York, NY 10016
Phone: (212) 251-0360
Toll free: 1-888-8POTALA (876-8252)
Fax: (212) 696-0431
Email: info@potala.com
Owned by the Tibetan Government in exile, this corporation produces books and other Tibetan crafts to create awareness of Tibetan culture and to achieve economic and social self-reliance with less dependence on external help.  Call Potala for a listing of books on Tibetan medicine.

Snow Lion Publications
http://snowlionpub.com/
PO Box 6483
Ithaca, NY 14851-6483
Toll Free: (800) 950-0313
Phone: (607) 273-8519
Fax: (607) 273-8508
Email: info@snowlionpub.com
Contact Snow Lion Publications for a free copy of their quarterly newsletter and catalogue which lists many titles on Tibetan medicine and culture.  The Snow Lion Catalog is also available online to place orders.

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EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN TIBETAN MEDICINE

ROKPA-Providing Medical Training in Tibet
http://www.rokpausa.org
ROKPA USA
Edith G. Irwin
c/o Virginia Dempsey
6501 Gretna Green Way
Alexandria, VA 22312
Phone: (703) 642-2248
Fax: (703) 642-1591
Email: rokpa.usa@attglobal.net
ROKPA works to revive the ancient science of Tibetan medicine in Tibet.  The organization raises funding for medical colleges to give the young men and women of current-day Tibet a profession that will make them self-supporting, while providing health care in isolated and poor communities.

Shang Shung Institute in America
http://www.shangshung.org/
P.O. Box 277
18 Schoolhouse Rd.
Conway, MA 01341
Phone: (413) 369-4928
Fax: (413) 369-4473
Email: shangshung@segyalgar.org
The medical branch of the Shang Shung Institute is dedicated to the study, practice, and preservation of traditional Tibetan medicine.

Tara-Rokpa College of Tibetan Medicine
http://www.tararokpa.org/andtara.html
250 Ferry Rd.
Edinburgh EH5 3AM
Scotland
Phone/Fax: [+44] 0131 552 1431
Located in Scotland, this college is one of ROKPA's projects.  It offers training in Tibetan medicine, placing particular emphasis on the long-term well-being of the individual.  Click on "Tara-Rokpa Therapy" to read how this new psychotherapy uses Tibetan Buddhist principles.  Also, see "Rokpa's Seven Colleges of Tibetan Medicine" for locations of these colleges in present-day Tibet.

Yuthog Foundation for Tibetan Medicine
http://www.yuthog.org
Andreas Neugebauer
Freibergstr. 53
D 70376 Stuttgart
Phone: +49 711 591705
Fax: +49 711 593617
Email: yuthog@earthling.net
This center in Ladakh, India provides training and education of young Ladakhi people in Tibetan medicine.  The primary objective is the preservation and development of traditional Tibetan medicine especially concerning the use and identification of medicinal plants. 

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SELF-HELP AND REFERRAL ORGANIZATIONS

Institute for Traditional Medicine - Tibetan Medicine
http://www.itmonline.org
2017 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
Portland, OR 97214
Phone: (503) 233-4907
Fax: (503) 233-1017
Email: itm@itmonline.org
ITM provides education, conducts research, offers natural healing therapy programs, and helps direct people seeking health care.  Click on "Practitioner List" and then "Listing of Practitioners" to view the availability of practitioners by state.

The Office of Tibet - Tibetan Government in Exile
http://www.tibet.com/
Tibet House, 1 Culworth St.
London NW8 7AF
Phone: 0044-20-7722-5378
Fax: 0044-20-7722-0362
Email: info@tibet.com
The future of Tibetan medicine is ultimately linked to the preservation of Tibetan culture.  This site is maintained by the Office of Tibet in London and contains relevant background on the current political situation affecting the Government in Exile.   Click on "Tibetan Medicine and Astrology" within the Tibetan Culture section for links to information on Tibetan medicine.

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A regularly updated listing of Treatment and Research Centers and other web resources is maintained on the TibetMed web site. Go to http://www.tibetmed.org/links.htm.