Essentials of Tibetan Traditional Medicine
“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 ofThe Quintessence Tantras of Tibetan Medicine“For most readers, the most important part of this book will be the Materia Medica section, where the herbs (and in some cases, the animals and minerals) used in Tibetan medicine are described… What is most interesting is to see how the remedies fit into the Tibetan system of medicine, their commonality with other types of traditional medicine, and of course it is always gratifying to see the use of some of these remedies now being supported with modern scientific evidence… As an introduction to Tibetan medicine, this book fulfills its aim, and a gap in the literature on the subject; it is also well written and worth the modest price tag.”—Phytotherapy Research Journal “[Essentials of Tibetan Traditional Medicine] is a very interesting and unique position on the market of TTM books, offering extensive medical teachings for advanced students. It assumes the reader to have knowledge of the basics of Tibetan medicine and so focuses primarily on the pathology and therapies—the last two tantras of the rGyud bzi, (currently still untranslated into English and hardly accessible). It is well written and is clearly and logically structured. An excellent book for those who wish to deepen their medical knowledge.”—The Journal of Traditional Tibetan Medicine“The Four Tantrasis considered the fundamental treatise on Tibetan medicine, yet more than half of the chapters have never been translated into English. Fortunately,Essentials of Tibetan Traditional Medicinenow offers a distillation of the text, in English, using non-academic language. The book starts by unpacking the basics of Tibetan medical theory and methods of diagnosis, then addresses the humors, their corresponding illnesses, and the possible treatments. Lastly, the book dives into therapeutics, such as diet, lifestyle, bloodletting, andmaterial medica—mostly herbs but also ingredients of animal and mineral origin.”—Shambhala Sun