Traditional medicine at all times played an important role in Bhutan. The first pharmaceutical outlets and medical aid stations have been established in 1967,
30 years later they turned into the "National Institut for Traditional Medicine (NITM)", integrated into the state health system by royal order. Each bhutanese hospital therefore also has a department offering traditional treatment.
Traditional diagnosis, including a personal conversation, relies on examination of the 12 pulses (the Sowa-rigpa methode dedects illness of any organ by measuring the pulses), urine, eyes and tongue.
Therapeutic treatment is based on one hand on natural substances gained from hundreds of medical herbs, minerals and animal bones, which, put together in various compositions and blends, yield over 300 different medicines.
On the other hand prescriptions are given for:
diet and attitudes,
bleed (gtar),
accupuncture with goldneedles (ser-khab),
herbal and intermittend bath (dugs),
medical oil-massages (byugs-pa),
vapour inhalation etc.
Healing in early times was supposed to be in the hands of Gods.
Only when an old indian king taught the basics how to treat ailments,
it was taken up by holy buddhist scripts and spread among followers.
When Buddhism reached Tibet in the 7th century, those scripts were translated and created some interest at the then rulers. Over time the indian Ayurveda (Humors), chinese (yin/yang, pulse) and persian (Unani) medical tradtions merged into Tibetan Medicine.
Bhutan has long been known as "Men Jong", country of medical herbs, however the spread of traditional (tibetan) medicine in the first place was due to Tenzing Drukey, practitioner and secretary for religious affairs at the time of Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal during the 17th century.
Buddhist comprehensive reflection forms the medical doctrine:
Bodily and spiritual health are tied together inseperably!
Ma-rigpa - vices of a disordered spirit - are roots and venom causing all suffering, especially:
Dud-chag: desire, greed, envy
Zshe-dang: hate, anger, arrogance
Ti-mog: ignorance, delusion