Mongolian ethnic medicine popular
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-04-18 11:34
The traditional Mongolian medicine that once helped Genghis Khan conquer high
and low on the Asian-Euro continent 700 years ago has now regained a place in
everyday life of people living in north China.
"About 250 to 300
patients come to see doctors of Mongolian medicine in my hospital on a daily
basis, 80 percent of whom are of Han nationality," said Uliji Tugus,
vice-president of the Mongolian Medicine Hospital in Hohhot, capital of the
Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The hospital is a well-known center for
traditional Mongolian medicine's research, development and personnel
training.
"The Mongolian medicine is also popular with northeast China's
Korean ethnic minority," said the senior expert of Mongolian medicine.
He
said as an offshoot of Chinese Traditional medicine (CTM), Mongolian medicine
stands out for its easy way of taking, low price and effectiveness, and good at
treating and preventing chronic and difficult diseases, such as stomach trouble,
liver and gall disorder, coronary heart disease, gynecological disease, and
problems related to blood, skin and bone.
"That's also why many Chinese
as well as Japanese, Russian and people from the Republic of Korea have shown
interest in the medicine," said Uliji Tugus.
According to the autonomous
regional health department, now, Inner Mongolia has some 4,777 doctors engaging
in Mongolian medicine.
Meanwhile, a total of 41 special hospitals have
been built in Inner Mongolia as well as provinces of Liaoning, Jilin,
Heilongjiang in northeast China and Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur
Autonomous Region in Northwest China to practice Mongolian medicine.
Uliji Tugus said, as a Mongolian proverb goes "illness starts from disturbed
digestion, medicine begins with boiled water", doctors of Mongolian medicine
uses very easy means to treat patients. Fermented koumiss, a daily drink for
herdsmen, is one of the therapies to treat insomnia.
Unlike the CTM,
which is known for its hours of preparation and the attitude that "bitter
medicine treats you well", Mongolian medicine is now in tablet, pill and powder
forms to cater to modern people. The language of Chinese, Mongolian and English
are printed together on drug covers to promote the medicine internationally,
said an official with the autonomous region's health department.
The
medicine, originated in the 13th century when Genghis Khan fought for his Great
Mongol Empire, was only taught by monks in temples then. It now becomes a
medicine of unique theoretical system and diagnostic methods. Some ancient
western missionaries thought it was "unscientific" as doctors gave judgment only
by "feeling patient's pulse but without doing any urine test".
Yuan
Deng, an expert of Mongolian medicine, called for further academic research on
combination of the traditional Mongolian ethnic medicine with modern medical
science. "the research programs will help local doctors learn comprehensive
science knowledge in fields of CTM, Mongolian medicine and Western medicine.
He said, the medicine, which came from ethnic people with long history,
should be put more focus on treatment practice.
Uliji Tugus echoed
Yuan's remarks, saying that through centuries, Mongolian medical record has kept
about 3,000 entries of therapies while only 110 have been authorized by the
government. Currently, some therapies are undergoing standardization
process.
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