Qizheng Tibetan Medicine Promotes Tibetan External Therapies in the U.S., Helping Traditional Ethnic Medicines Enter the International Market.

　　Overseas consumers’ understanding of traditional Chinese medicine often remains limited to just TCM itself. On August 6, the Massachusetts Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine hosted a lecture in the series “Harvard Forum on Traditional Chinese Medicine” at McLean Hospital, affiliated with Harvard Medical School, in Belmont. This lecture introduced attendees to Tibetan medicine—a lesser-known aspect of traditional Chinese medical practices—as well as its external treatment methods.

　　According to Chen Wei-wu, General Manager of the Qizheng Tibetan Medicine R&D Center and Director of the Institute for External Treatment of Traditional Tibetan Medicine, Tibetan medicine boasts a long history of 2,300 years and numerous classic medical texts and theoretical works. In the Tibetan medical text "Four Medical Tantras," the causes and mechanisms of disease in the human body are categorized into "Lung," "Chikba," and "Beden." The therapeutic principle lies precisely in restoring balance among these three "substances" to bring the body back into equilibrium. External treatment is one of the four fundamental therapeutic methods in Tibetan medicine. When drug therapy proves ineffective or when certain specific diseases require external treatment alone—or necessitate combined internal and external therapies—external treatment methods become indispensable. Throughout history, Tibetan medical theories on external treatment have been primarily based on the "External Treatment" section of the "Four Medical Tantras." There are five main types of external treatments: bloodletting, moxibustion, hot and cold compresses, medicinal baths, and topical applications, all of which rely on Tibetan medicine's unique herbal remedies and medical devices. Chen Wei-wu also used Qizheng Tibetan Medicine’s Pain-Relieving Plaster as an example to introduce academic research on the efficacy mechanisms of Tibetan medicines. Thanks to its distinctive pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory action mechanism and its patented moist-application formulation, the Pain-Relieving Plaster achieves excellent pain-relief effects.

　　The audience at the lecture showed great interest in Tibetan medicine, and after the talk, many eagerly requested samples to try out. Several attendees remarked that they had previously known very little about the traditional medicines of China’s ethnic minorities, adding that Tibetan medicine serves as an excellent complement to traditional Chinese medicine and is an essential part of promoting Chinese culture that should not be overlooked. Ziga Cangzhen, a Tibetan-Chinese individual, said that he has been exposed to and familiar with Tibetan medicine since childhood, and he feels both delighted and proud to see that Tibetan heritage is now being preserved and is making its way onto the global stage.

　　It is understood that in 2013, Qizheng Tibetan Medicine collaborated with Professor David Christiani of Harvard University, an internationally renowned expert in occupational disease research, to establish the Harvard Tibetan Medicine Research Laboratory. The laboratory focuses on the role and expansion of Tibetan medicine in addressing major diseases from a global perspective, and explores the clinical value of classic Tibetan medicines within the framework of modern integrative medicine.

　　Liu Kai, Vice President of the China Association for Ethnic Medicine and President of Qizheng Tibetan Medicine, said in an interview that currently, the internationalization of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is mainly driven by traditional TCM practices such as acupuncture, while the degree of internationalization of ethnic medicines remains far from sufficient. The first step Qizheng Tibetan Medicine took to expand into the U.S. market was to promote the traditional culture of Tibetan medicine, break down cultural barriers, and enhance consumers’ awareness of Tibetan medicine.

　　Due to the stringent and time-consuming approval process for oral medications in the United States, as well as the mainstream medical community’s emphasis on oral drugs and surgical procedures, acupuncture—a unique external therapy—has become a breakthrough for the recognition and acceptance of traditional Chinese medicine in the U.S. Drawing on the historical trajectory of traditional Chinese medicine’s overseas expansion, Tibetan medicine’s external treatment methods clearly represent a suitable area for promotion in the United States.

　　Liu Kailie said that in recent years, China’s efforts to promote the internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine and its growing emphasis on ethnic medicines have provided strong momentum for ethnic medicines to go global. Qizheng Tibetan Medicine hopes to share the wisdom and achievements of ethnic medicine with American consumers. Speaking about the primary entry points for promoting Tibetan medicine in the U.S., Liu Kailie emphasized that efficacy is the real strength. It’s crucial to identify Tibetan medicine’s distinctive therapeutic advantages for specific diseases, enabling patients to clearly see the benefits and effectiveness of Tibetan medical treatments, thereby boosting acceptance and earning positive word-of-mouth.

　　Reporting media: China Tibet Online

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