Wangchuk Phurpa, Wangchuk Dorji, Aagaard-Hansen Jens
Pharmaceutical and Research Unit, Institute of Traditional Medicine Services, Ministry of Health, Thimphu, Bhutan.
Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health. 2007 Jan;38(1):161-7.
Traditional medicine in Bhutan is known as gSo-ba Rig-pa and is one of the oldest surviving medical traditions in the world. Other medical systems, such as Chinese medicine, Indian Ayurvedic medicine, Unani medicine, Greco-Roman medicine and the country's rich cultures and traditions have greatly influenced the way traditional Bhutanese medicine evolved. However, Buddhist philosophy remains the mainstream of this medical system. gSo-ba Rig-pa's principles are based on the perception the human body is composed of three main elements: rLung ('Air'), mKhris-pa ('Bile') and Bad-kan ('Phlegm'). When these three elements are balanced in the body a person is said to be healthy. The pathophysiology is also different from other medical systems, and the close link to Buddhism is reflected in the spiritual dimensions and the perception that all suffering is caused by ignorance. The treatment of diseases includes behavioral modification, physiotherapy, herbal medicines, minor surgery and spiritual healing. This makes the traditional Bhutanese medicine a unique and holistic health care system. The traditional medicine is an integrated and recognized part of the formal health care services in Bhutan under the auspices of the Ministry of Health. The article highlights three main points which can be learned from the Bhutanese experience: (1) the strong tradition of herbal medicines within gSo-ba Rig-pa forms a unique opportunity to prospect for new leads for development of pharmaceuticals, (2) the availability of the traditional medicine along with biomedicine broadens the health care choices for patients, and (3) the experiences of integrating two conceptually very different health care systems within one ministry contains important managerial lessons to be learned.
不丹的传统医学被称为“索瓦日巴”（gSo-ba Rig-pa），是世界上现存最古老的医学传统之一。其他医学体系，如中医、印度阿育吠陀医学、尤那尼医学、希腊 - 罗马医学以及该国丰富的文化和传统，都对不丹传统医学的发展方式产生了重大影响。然而，佛教哲学仍然是这一医学体系的主流。“索瓦日巴”的原则基于这样一种观念，即人体由三种主要元素组成：“隆”（rLung，意为“气”）、“赤巴”（mKhris-pa，意为“胆汁”）和“培根”（Bad-kan，意为“痰”）。当这三种元素在体内保持平衡时，人就被认为是健康的。其病理生理学也与其他医学体系不同，与佛教的紧密联系体现在精神层面以及认为所有痛苦皆由无知所致的观念中。疾病的治疗包括行为矫正、物理治疗、草药、小手术和精神疗法。这使得不丹传统医学成为一个独特的整体医疗保健系统。在卫生部的支持下，传统医学是不丹正规医疗服务中一个综合且被认可的部分。本文强调了可以从不丹经验中学到的三个要点：（1）“索瓦日巴”中丰富的草药传统为开发新药寻找新线索提供了独特机会；（2）传统医学与生物医学的并存为患者拓宽了医疗保健选择；（3）在一个部门内整合两个概念上截然不同的医疗保健系统的经验包含了重要的管理经验教训。
