Tibetan Medicine

Tibetan Medicine

　　Tibetan medicine is a unique medical system formed through long-term practice by extensively absorbing and integrating theories from traditional Chinese medicine, Indian medicine, Arabic medicine, and others. With a history of over a thousand years, it is one of the most comprehensive and influential ethnic medicines in China. Throughout history, Tibetan medicine has produced many classic treatises, which today serve as the main literature for studying Tibetan medicine and as historical records of the development of its various types.

The Moon King’s Medical Diagnosis is one of the earlier Tibetan medical texts, listing 440 species of plants, 260 species of animals, and 80 types of minerals. Over 300 of these medicinal substances are specialty products of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, many of which are still in use today—such as crabclaw, umbrella-stem saxifrage, ear-leaf hedyotis, pouch-leaved delphinium, ship-shaped aconite, Himalayan mirabilis, hairy speedwell, myricaria, meadowrue, bluegrass, gentiana urnula, anisodus, zanthoxylum, highland barley, bear gallbladder, yak butter, and tsampa.

The Crystal Bead Materia Medica is the largest compendium of Tibetan medicine, covering a wide range of topics and rich in Tibetan ethnic characteristics. It is hailed as the Tibetan version of the Compendium of Materia Medica. About 75% of the medicinal substances listed are still in use today, with 30% being exclusive to Tibetan medicine. According to statistics, the book involves around 1,200 species of flora and fauna.

In addition to the Tibet Autonomous Region, modern Tibetan medicine is also used in some Tibetan autonomous prefectures and counties in Qinghai, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Gansu provinces. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is the main production area for Tibetan medicine. According to surveys by relevant institutions, there are 2,436 species of Tibetan medicinal resources, including 2,172 plant species, 214 animal species, and 50 mineral species. Qinghai occupies the northern and eastern parts of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Surveys show that the province has 1,294 types of medicinal resources, including 1,087 plant species, 150 animal species, and 57 mineral species. Among the hundreds of commonly used Tibetan medicines in the province, 70% are sourced from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. According to a survey in the Aba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan, the prefecture has over 1,000 types of Tibetan medicinal resources. The Ganzi Prefecture has 1,127 types of traditional Chinese medicinal resources, 23% of which are used in Tibetan medicine.

According to statistical data, there are approximately 3,000 types of Tibetan medicine in China today. Tibet is the birthplace of Tibetan medicine and has a long history of its application. This region commonly uses over 360 types of Tibetan medicine, mainly derived from plants in the Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Ranunculaceae, Papaveraceae, Apiaceae, Gentianaceae, Rosaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Brassicaceae, and Liliaceae families. Important medicinal genera include Meconopsis, Pedicularis, Corydalis, Primula, and Saxifraga. Among commonly used Tibetan medicines, about 50% contain alkaloids, with these highly active compounds often found in plants such as Aconitum, Delphinium, Thalictrum, Hyoscyamus, Sophora, Gentiana, and Berberis. For example, rhubarb is an important Tibetan medicine. There are 28 species of Rheum on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, 21 of which are used in Tibetan medicine. Tibetan medicinal rhubarb is divided into three grades: upper grade (Junmuzha), which includes Rheum palmatum, Rheum tanguticum, as well as Rheum emodi, Rheum webbianum, Rheum nobile, and Tibetan rhubarb; middle grade (Qushizha), which includes Rheum spiciforme, Rheum przewalskyi, Rheum wallichianum, Rheum reticulatum, Rheum cordatum, Rheum erythrocarpum, and Rheum ovatum; and lower grade (Qumazha), which includes Rheum pumilum.

Currently, Tibetan medicine has established a unified usage standard—the Tibetan Medicine Standard, jointly compiled by six provinces and regions: Tibet, Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, Yunnan, and Xinjiang. It lists 227 types of Tibetan medicine, including 197 plant species, 17 animal species, and 13 mineral species. Major examples include Tibetan fennel, anisodus, Tibetan codonopsis, Tibetan lithospermum, saussurea involucrata, Rhodiola tangutica, Kamba sebao (Artemisia), Qumazi (Erigeron annuus), Dama (Rhododendron coggygria), wild yak heart, vulture, lac insect resin, and lac insect. Tibetan medicinal resources are abundant, distributed across the vast areas inhabited by Tibetan people on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and documented in numerous Tibetan medical texts.