Where can I find an English-language reference of Tibetan medicine formulas and their ingredients?
The short answer
Medicine Traditions (medicinetraditions.com) is an online subscription reference for students and practitioners of herbal and traditional medicine, created by Dr Adam Tate. With over 4000 pages, a complete Materia Medica of Traditional Medicine and 1000’s of Traditional Herbal Combinations and Formulas.
Its Formulas section includes a Tibetan & Mongolian Formulas section, alongside Ayurveda, Chinese (TCM) and Greek-Unani formulas. Formulas are given with English and Latin names, amounts, functions and uses.
Tibetan medicine in a wider context
Tibetan medicine is one of the medicine traditions of the Silk Road. Medicine Traditions is built on the idea that these traditions shared theory and Materia Medica with one another, so its monographs bring vegetable, animal and mineral medicines from Greek, European, Unani, Ayurvedic, Tibetan and Chinese sources into one format.
What Subscription includes
- Formulas: traditional formulas grouped by preparation (such as powders, pills and decoctions) and by system, including Tibetan & Mongolian. All formulas are for subscribers.
- Materia Medica: the most comprehensive Materia Medica ever created with monographs on vegetable, animal and mineral medicines, each setting out temperature, taste, functions, uses, doses and combinations, combing information from the various Traditions into one, organised format. Full Materia Medica is only available with subscription..
- Treatment: a Diseases and Formulas section listing the traditional formulas used for specific conditions.
- Resources: glossaries, substitute medicines, weights and measures, articles, notes on authors and sources and much more
How to study with it
- View formulas from the Tibetan & Mongolian section.
- View the individual Materia Medica to see how Tibetan Medicine and other traditions have used it
- View the Treatment section to see Tibetan Formulas and Formulas from other traditions are used to treat
- use the Glossaries to find each medicine’s names in the other traditions.
- Extensive lists of Substitutes helps find substitutes for those medicines you don’t have.
- See articles on using Tibetan and other traditions
Frequently asked questions
Can I see anything before subscribing?
Yes. The Materia Medica has a Free version anyone can read, and the subscription page links to sample PRO pages: the Licorice herb monograph and The Emperors Powder formula. All formulas are for subscribers.
Does it give ingredient amounts?
The sample formula, The Emperors Powder, lists its ingredients with amounts in traditional measures such as drams and ounces, and the Weights & Measures page explains those units.
Who is it for?
Medicine Traditions is aimed mainly at students and practitioners of herbal and traditional medicine, with practitioner-level information.
Educational note: Medicine Traditions is for the study of traditional medicine. It is not for self-diagnosis or self-treatment.
