Tibetan medicine is a formal system with its own theory, materia medica and training, not a folk adjunct to Chinese medicine, and its principal institution is the Men-Tsee-Khang in Lhasa - a college, clinic and pharmaceutical workshop that has been teaching and dispensing since the early twentieth century. It combines elements of Indian Ayurvedic theory, Chinese medical practice and the indigenous medical knowledge of the plateau into a system organised around three humours, and it uses a large pharmacopoeia of highland plants, minerals and animal products.
The bathing tradition
Herbal bathing has a specific place in the system, and its history is tied to the plateau's climate: hot mineral springs were visited seasonally for centuries, and the medical literature codified the practice into soaks of prescribed herbs at controlled temperatures, often combined with compresses, cupping and massage. In Lhasa a number of clinics and bath houses offer these soaks, using herb bundles prepared to traditional formulae, with the water kept hot and the patient supervised rather than left alone. Sessions are usually thirty to sixty minutes and are followed by rest.
Consultations and pharmacy
The institute runs outpatient clinics where diagnosis follows the classical methods - pulse reading, urine examination, questioning and observation - and dispenses medicines made on site in the form of pills, powders and precious-metal compounds. The pharmacy, with its rows of jars and its grinding and compounding rooms, can be visited as part of an organised tour, and it is genuinely interesting independent of any treatment. If you have a chronic complaint that has resisted treatment, the diagnosis process is at least worth observing.
Practical notes
Foreign visitors need a Tibet Travel Permit arranged through a licensed agency, and the institute is normally a scheduled stop on a guided itinerary. Bathes and massage are usually paid in cash and are best booked a day ahead. Tell the practitioner about any heart condition, high blood pressure or pregnancy before a hot soak, and do not combine a soak with alcohol. Treat any prescribed preparation as a medicine rather than a supplement: some traditional formulae contain mineral ingredients, and they should not be taken alongside other medication without advice.
