Essentials of Tibetan Traditional Medicine

by Thinley Gyatso, Chris Hakim

  • Essentials of Tibetan Traditional Medicine
  1. £25.00

Tibetan medicine is a rarefied field with few publications in English; it is also one of the most comprehensive of alternative therapies, addressing body, mind, and spirit. Written for intermediate-level practitioners, Essentials of Tibetan Traditional Medicine brings this important healing tradition to Western practitioners.

The book begins by summarising the basics behind Tibetan medical theory and its methods of diagnosis. The second part of the book presents the core concepts of wind, bile, phlegm, dark phlegm, epidemic fever, heat, and cold, along with their corresponding nosologies, differential diagnoses, and treatments. The third section covers therapeutics, with an emphasis on medicinals - the mainstay of contemporary practice. A chapter on therapeutic strategies discusses unclear diagnosis and other challenging clinical situations. Other chapters explore the crucial components of lifestyle and diet. Each herb and animal product used in Tibetan medicine is profiled on its own page, with its Tibetan, common, and botanical names; its key properties and clinical uses; its known pharmacological properties; and a simple illustration. This useful handbook concludes with a description and in depth analysis of some 60 frequently used formulas.

"This book is the fruition of an ambitious project to present the essence of the ancient Tibetan medical system to a Western audience. The work combines a logical order and systematic presentation of the material with much detailed data not only on healing plants and herbs but also on a wide variety of food sources and spices. This book is valuable in breaking new ground so as to reveal more valuable knowledge of Tibetan medicine."
--Dr Barry Clark, translator of The Quintessence Tantras of Tibetan Medicine