Tibetan Medicine

Tibetan medicine traces back centuries before the common era; in the seventh century, Princess Wencheng's arrival in Tibet brought Chinese medical texts, which blended with local tradition and Ayurvedic medicine from India, and by the eighth century produced the Four Medical Tantras (Gyushi), the system's foundational text covering theory and clinical practice.

Tibetan medical theory rests on the balance of three humours (Lung, Tripa and Pegen); diagnosis centres on pulse-reading, urinalysis and questioning; treatments include herbal decoctions, pills, external therapies and the medicinal bath known as Lü-me—all drawing on minerals, plants and animals unique to the plateau.

Inscribed on China's first national ICH list in 2006; in 2018, the Tibetan medicinal bathing practice (Lü-me) was separately inscribed on UNESCO's representative list, marking international recognition. Tibetan medicine is the knowledge system on which plateau communities have relied for good health across a thousand years.

Lhasa's Mentsikhang (Tibet Autonomous Region Tibetan Medicine Hospital) is the centre of Tibetan medical practice and transmission; numerous Tibetan medicine shops cluster near Jokhang Temple, making the area the best place to experience Tibetan pharmacological culture.