Eminent Masters of Tibetan Medicine
- Yuthok Yontan Gonpo
Yuthok Yontan Gonpo was born in 729 AD and later became the most distinguished physician of the Tubo (Tibetan) Empire period and the founder of the Tibetan medical theory system. He traveled extensively throughout Tibet and was dispatched by the Tibetan kings to Mount Wutai in China, as well as to India and Nepal, to absorb the essence of local medicine. He also integrated the content of previously translated medical texts such as "The Great Treatise on Medicine," "The Weapon of Fearlessness," and "The King of the Moon's Diagnosis of Medicine," summarizing the rich medicinal experience accumulated by the Tibetan people. Over the course of several decades, he created an enduring classic in the treasury of Tibetan medicine — "The Four Treatises," establishing Tibetan medicine as a complete medical system with an independent theoretical framework and rich clinical experience.
Yuthok Yontan Gonpo made significant contributions to the treatment of skin diseases. It is said that he was the discoverer of the precious Tibetan medicine, Codonopsis tangshen. In the valleys of the Himalayas, he collected this miraculous herb and used it to treat the commonly seen "Gampa disease" (a skin disease) on the plateau, achieving extraordinary healing effects, hence including it in "The Four Tantras." According to historical records, the Tibetan King Trisong Detsen suffered from skin disease due to the harsh highland climate and an unhealthy diet. Yuthok Yontan Gonpo quickly cured the king's skin disease with his "Codonopsis tangshen pills," earning him great appreciation from the king, who bestowed upon him the title of "Imperial Physician." Due to his research on the use of Codonopsis tangshen in treating skin diseases, Tibetan people now primarily use this herb for treating skin conditions (such as eczema, herpes, and psoriasis), with a major prepared medicine being the "Xianlu Shiba Wei Tangshen Wan" (Immortal Dew Eighteen-Flavor Codonopsis Pill).
- Qiangba Zhelie
Professor Qiangba Zhelie is a renowned Tibetan physician and astronomer in China, regarded as a leading authority in the field of Tibetan medicine today. He began studying Tibetan medicine and astronomy at the age of 13 and, after more than five decades of dedicated research, gradually became a learned and highly skilled Tibetan physician and theorist and practitioner of astronomical calculation. In 1945, he entered Menzikang in Lhasa, Tibet, to study Tibetan medicine and astronomy, receiving a formal nine-year education in Tibetan medicine. Under the careful guidance of master Chinlai Rob, Qiangba Zhelie mastered the theories of Tibetan medicine and astronomical calculation in his early twenties and was able to independently collect medicinal materials and diagnose and treat complex diseases.
In 1974, with limited teaching materials available, he relied on his remarkable memory and his own practice in Tibetan medicine to compile a set of accessible textbooks based on "The Four Tantras" for teaching Tibetan medicine. This set, which includes "Fundamentals of Tibetan Medicine," "Physiology," "Diagnostics," "Pathology," "Internal Medicine," "Surgery," "Otorhinolaryngology," "Gynecology," "Pediatrics," "Prescription Science," and more, amounted to over two hundred thousand words. Qiangba Zhelie, considering the reality of the time that Tibetan medicine was still in a phase of rescue and students generally had a lower level of education, wrote this material to be simple and easy to understand. This was the first time in the history of Tibetan medicine that teaching materials were written according to modern medical disciplines. As a result, these books became the most widely used Tibetan and Mongolian medical materials not only in Tibet but also in Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Inner Mongolia.
In order to salvage Tibetan medical and astronomical calculation materials, starting in 1980, he mobilized talent and set up a book rescue team responsible for collecting, organizing, copying, transcribing, drawing, and engraving book versions. Today, the Tibetan Medicine Institute's archive room has preserved more than 7,000 types of works. To inherit and promote the ancient and practical science of Tibetan medicine and to serve the health of the people better while training future talent, he established a rich experience database.
He has also taught important courses to nearly 100 students, including Tibetan Medicine Institute doctors, visiting scholars from other regions, folk doctors, and interns, covering Tibetan medical theory, Tibetan clinical medicine, medical ethics and conduct, and the history of Tibetan medicine.
- Cuo Ru Cailang
Cuo Ru Cailang is a scholar of profound knowledge and exquisite expertise who has made outstanding contributions to the promotion and dissemination of Tibetan medicine both domestically and internationally. He has held numerous social and administrative positions, including chief editor of the "Encyclopedia of Chinese Medicine - Tibetan Medicine" editorial board, executive director of the China Buddhist Association, vice president of the Tibet Buddhist Association, lifetime researcher at the China Tibetan Language High-Level Buddhist Institute, vice president of the Tibet Astronomical Calculation Association, professor at Tibet University, professor and president of the Tibetan Medical College, deputy director-general of the China Tibetan Studies Research Center, the first executive vice president of the Chinese Ethnic Medicine Society, standing committee member of the 8th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and member of the 9th CPPCC, among others. His scholarship is not only widely recognized in Tibet and the Chinese mainland but also holds great prestige overseas. He has been acclaimed as the most learned person in Tibet and the world's foremost figure in Tibetan medicine, and is respectfully referred to by the Tibetan people as a "saint of the snow land" and a "saint of national medicine."
In 1972, he established the Bomi Tibetan Hospital and was the first to successfully develop the "Tibetan medicine mercury processing and refining method," preventing this ancient Tibetan medical technique from being lost and guiding its spread throughout the Tibetan region. He processed and formulated over 250 different types of Tibetan medicines, trained students across the whole Tibetan area, and wrote more than 180 papers and books primarily on Tibetan medicine. He has been invited to lecture in Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu, and other places, and has traveled to the United States, Hungary, Japan, Nepal, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and other countries for lectures and research, dedicating his life to the promotion of the excellent traditional culture of the Tibetan people.