Traditional Tibetan Medicine

Apart from the renowned Tibetan Buddhism, another branch of Tibetan cultural heritage that gained considerable recognition in the world is the traditional Tibetan medicine.

Traditional Tibetan medicine is a practice that is believed to be more than a thousand- year-old. The medical system uses a number of techniques to diagnosis. The traditional way diagnostic method incorporates techniques such as pulse analysis and urinalysis.
The medicines in this tradition composed of natural materials, mostly herbs and minerals. Physical therapies such as Tibetan acupuncture and moxabustion are also applied to treat certain diseases.

It is believed that the Tibetans obtained their first knowledge of medicine from China during the reign of Namri Songtsen in early seventh century. However, there are a number of interpretations on the systematic development of Tibetan medicine we have today, with some of them falling to the mythical side.

The most reliable interpretation tells us that the Tibetan medical system is based upon certain texts from Indian Buddhist literature, like Abhidharma and Vajrayana. There was a time many hundreds ago when Indian culture flooded Tibet, mostly Buddhist literature, and a number of Indian medical texts reached Tibet through the same channel, which were translated and studied by Tibetans. Ayuveda, the Indian traditional medicine is believed to have a major influence to Tibetan medicine at the later stage.

The most prominent figure in traditional Tibetan medicine is Yuthok Yonten Gonpo (708 AD) who composed the master theatrical text of Tibetan medicine, “Gyue Shi” or Four Tantras. There are mythical belief that the “Gyue Shi” was originally preached by Lord Buddha, but no evidences to back it.

Four Tantras consists of four books that all the traditional Tibetan doctors required to excel: The first Tantra is called the Root Tantra, it gives a very brief explanation of all diseases. It is like a seed. The second Tantra is called Explanatory Tantra, which has 231 chapters and gives an account of all the anatomy and physiology of human body; the process of birth and dying. The third Tantra is called Oral Transmissions Tratra, it has 92 chapters that focus on the cause, the nature, and the treatment of diseases and their classification. The fourth Tantra is called the Last Tantra,it has 25 chapters that expound the 18 methods of diagnosis and treatment.

Like any aspect of Tibetan culture and tradition, the Tibetan medicine also embraces the conventional Buddhist belief that all diseases ultimately results from the three poisons: ignorance, attachment and aversion. It follows the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths which apply medical diagnostic logic to suffering.