Padma (The Jewel of Tibetan Remedies)

• What is Tibetan Medicine actually about?
• How does it work, and when can you use such standardized multiple-substance mixtures for your health?
• Where can you find more information?

These and similar questions are frequently asked. The book answers these in a manner that is easily understood. Gabriele Feyerer reveals the principles of Tibetan medicine, as well as how its natural herbal remedies work. At the center of these considerations are two substance mixtures, which are being produced for this first time under the name of Padma. However, other Tibetan formulas also follow the principle of variety in their ingredients. Plant remedies with many substances represent an aspect of the Tibetan medicine that distinguishes its practical applicability in a special way in the modern world. The formulas have been and continue to be subjected to internationally controlled medical studies for the purpose of distinctly documenting their effectiveness.

GABRIELE FEYERER, Ph.D., a former lawyer, has inherited a love of naturopathic healing from her grandmother, an herb enthusiast. For more than 20 years, she has been extensively involved in all types of holistic healing. Her special preference is Padma, which has become part of her life. Her books radiate her loving devotion to this very special Tibetan remedy.

For the reader's information, I would like to begin with a few words of explanation.

I am not a physician, but an insightful devotee of medical correlations and the so-called naturopathy and folk medicine. I come from one of those traditional families whose grandmothers were accustomed to curing children's coughs with fennel honey and insect bites with a ribwort compress. I inherited both a love of nature and the healing power it holds. Moreover, my own experiences have shown the value and the possibilities of the Eastern systems of medicine.

This book is designed for readers who would like to have brief but rewarding overview of the principles of Tibetan medicine, as well as how its natural herbal remedies work. At the center of these considerations are two substance mixtures, which are being produced in the West for this first time under the name of Padma. However, other Tibetan formulas also follow the principle of variety in their ingredients. Plant remedies with many substances represent an aspect of the Tibetan medicine that distinguishes its practical applicability in a special way in the Western World. The formulas have been and continue to be subjected to internationally controlled medical studies for the purpose of distinctly documenting their effectiveness. Among other things, I want to describe the results of these test series for the interested readers in a generally understandable manner.

The information presented here does not claim to be complete, nor does this book aspire to be compared to scientific publications. In-stead, it is intended to complement them. In this sense, if my work can make a contribution toward bringing the reader closer to the situation of Tibet, its human beings and its major tradition of medicine, this also gives me a sense of personal enrichment.

Washington D.C., November 7, 1998: A group of Tibetan monks on the podium in a prayer position recited Buddhist texts. Slowly but surely, the auditorium filled. There were a total of more than 1600 physicians, scientists, press representatives and interested non-professionals attending the 3-day event.

His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the 14^th Dalai Lama who lives in Indian Exile, held the formal opening speech for the First International Congress for Tibetan Medicine. This congress, he stated with a smile, was actually already the second international congress for Tibetan medicine: The first took place in the 8^th Century and lasted 50 years.¹

In a time frame that was naturally more limited, the Washington meeting offered participants from all over the world the new opportunity of exchanging their knowledge and practical experience. One main objective of the congress was the development of a dialog between the experts in the East and those in the West. The guiding motto for this was: "Revealing the Art of the Medicine-Buddha".

In his speech, the Dalai Lama said that we cannot permit the benefits of Tibetan medicine to be enjoyed only by Buddhists. In the same way, this body of knowledge must not remain closed to Western physicians.² In addition to a distinct rejection of obscure esoteric healing methods, the leader of Tibet also expressed his conviction that Tibetan medicine is effective independent of the Buddhist religion effective and a scientific study of the traditional medicinal formulas is desirable.