Characteristics of Tibetan medicine preparations used in the Chinese-Tibetan Hospital of Derong County

Purpose: To investigate the Tibetan medicine preparations used in Derong Chinese-Tibetan Hospital. Methods: In this study, 115 preparations were collected from the Chinese-Tibetan Hospital of Derong County. A statistical table of information on medicine preparation was prepared in Excel format, and it included information on the forms of preparations, medicinal materials, medicinal parts used, frequency of use, and clinical applications. Results: The 115 preparations were mainly pills. In clinics, they were used for treating liver disease, stomach-ache, gastric ulcer, nephrotic pain and fever. It was found that 226 medicines were used in various preparations. The plant components used varied from whole herbs, fruits, seeds, roots, rhizomes, and animal-based medicines, to flowers. The most frequently used plants/herbs were Terminalia chebula Retz., Carthamus tinctorius L., Aucklandia lappa Decne., Alpinia katsumadai Hayata and Phyllanthus emblica L. The most commonly used drug combinations involved three fruits (Terminalia chebula Retz., Terminalia billerica (Gaertn.) Roxb and Phyllanthus emblica L.). The preparations and medicinal materials used for liver and stomach diseases are described in detail in this article. These include Terminalia chebula Retz., Aucklandia lappa Decne. and Carthamus tinctorius L. Conclusion: The study has analysed the characteristics and clinical uses of Tibetan medicine preparations and summarised the diseases and medicinal materials in the Tibetan area. These preparations and medicinal materials, with their many years of clinical use, may become invaluable gifts of Tibetan medicine to the world.