A website as an introductory guide to Tibetan medicine, by Luke Thorsell.
In Tibet, medicine is one of the five major Tibetan sciences, and is known as gSo-ba Rig-pa – the science of healing. It’s based mostly on the information contained in the Four Medical Tantras (rGyud-bzhi), the most prominent and authoritative Tibetan medical text. The four tantras are the root tantra, explanatory tantra, instructional tantra, and subsequent tantra. The root tantra gives an overview of the collection, the explanatory tantra describes the embryology, anatomy, and physiology of the human body, the instructional tantra outlines the causes, symptoms, and treatment of numerous diseases, and the subsequent tantra details diagnosis and pharmacology. Tibetan medical methodology identifies and addresses the root of diseases rather than just the symptoms. It is most effective for chronic diseases and employs a focus on long-term solutions rather than immediate results.
