Qualitative Exploration of the Potential Causes of Serious Reduction in Availability of Medicinal Plants in the Qinghai-Tibetan High Plateau

Abstract

In the last ten years, there has been a dramatic reduction in medicinal plants in Tibet. This situation has attracted the attention of many researchers from different professional backgrounds, yet very few documents have been published on the general theoretical context and the actual process of herb collection as it occurs at different levels in clinics in Tibet. This article begins with a systematic review of the general principles of medicinal plant collection methods as set out in the ancient traditional medical system. Because the demand for plants is generated by the need to make Tibetan medicines, it is necessary to consider the original context of Tibetan medicine to understand pharmacological needs and the principles behind collecting medicinal plants to develop a strategy that might guarantee sustainable development of the plant supply. After considering the wider context of this study, the article presents research mainly based on case studies with the intention of understanding different stakeholders' experiences and social relationships in the contemporary herb collection process in order to discover behavioral patterns within the dynamic social roles involved in this process as these inform policy formation and to seek to promote appropriate methods in the future.

Keywords:

• Tibet
• medicinal plants
• conservation
• traditional medicine

Acknowledgments

This research is funded by the Wellcome Trust as part of my postdoctoral fellowship, which commenced in June 2011. An early version of this paper was written as part of my master's degree in public health, which I began in 2008. I would like to thank the Wellcome Trust for their generous support of this research.

Notes

1 The Gzhong pa lha chu Tibetan medicine factory is a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)–registered Tibetan medicine factory located in Tulung County, Lhasa Municipality, Tibet.

2 Rokpa International is a registered charity, founded in 1980 by Chöje Akong Tulku, a Tibetan doctor and teacher, along with Ms. Lea Wyler, a Swiss actress, and her father, the Swiss lawyer Dr. Veit Wyler, with the aims of relieving poverty and supporting education and health care in countries in the developing world (Rokpa International 2009).

3 “Wider natural cycle” refers to the greater universal autonomous system; for instance, humans need to intake oxygen, which is produced by plants; humans excrete carbon dioxide as waste, which in turn is a nutrient for the plants.

4 In general, sacred areas in Tibet are often identified by Buddhist masters on the basis of spiritual visualization and perception during various deity practices or some other ritual related occasions.

5 Tibetan don. This includes the heart, lung, liver, spleen, and kidney.

6 All translations are by the author.

7 These are typical high-altitude plants often growing at the top of high mountains.

8 An area in Nanggang ze County, Lhokha Prefecture, Tibetan Autonomous Region.

9 The purpose of the training is to ensure that collectors understand some of the very basic knowledge, for example, the identification, the parts to be used, the collection season, the right drying procedures, and the location in association with the quality. Each individual plant has its own specific requirements to ensure proper quality.

10 For example, just in Lhasa there are three factories (Mentsikhang factory of the Tibetan Medical Hospital in Lhasa, the Tibetan Medical Factory of the Tibetan Autonomous Region for the Traditional Tibetan Medical College, and the Gzhong pa lha chu factory) competing with one another.

11 Each plant needs to be collected in a specific season or month according to Tibetan medicine.

12 Meat is a major item in the diet and the single highest food expense. Butter is the second most costly item, since individuals may consume up to 4 kg of butter per month, and it is fairly expensive compared with other types of food. The main cereals eaten are barley, rice, and wheat.

13 Da byid is classified in thirteen types in the Four Tantras. The indicated potency in the given reference is for meat-type da byid, whereas Cordyceps sinensis is grass-type da byid, which has a similar function.

14 In Chinese medicine, it is claimed to boost the immune system, eliminate blood viruses, combat high-altitude sickness and tumors, and reduce blood sugar levels (Changsha Natureway 2009).

15 The official language in Tibet is Chinese, while the majority of Tibetans only speak Tibetan, which is very different from Chinese. This is the case especially for rural and less-educated urban Tibetans.

16 Non-Han populations in mainland China are referred to as minzu (“ethnic minorities”).