A physician checks the quality of a Tibetan medicine at the Luqu Tibetan hospital in the Gannan Tibet autonomous region, Northwest China's Gansu province, Oct 31, 2012.[Photo/Xinhua]

XINING -- China's largest database for ancient Tibetan medicine books has been set up in northwest China's Qinghai Province, according to the provincial Tibetan medicine research institute.

The database, which began to catalogue and digitalize ancient Tibetan medicine books in 2003, features 638 categories on medicinal literature, according to database head Drakpa.

The database includes eight sub-databases, such as "history of Tibetan medicine," "ancient Tibetan medicine," "clinical practice" and "religious texts," said Drakpa.

It is now accessible to Tibetan medicine researchers, doctors, and people working in related fields.

The database could not only better preserve these original rare ancient medicine books but also provide a more convenient platform for knowledge exchange, according to Drakpa.

Tibetan medicine, known as "Sowa Rigpa" in Tibetan, is at least 2,300 years old. It has absorbed the influences of traditional Chinese, Indian and Arab medicine and is mainly practiced in Tibet and the Himalayan region.

Tibetan medicine uses herbs, minerals and sometimes insects and animal parts. It was put on the list of China's national intangible cultural heritage in 2006.