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Studies in the History of Natural Sciences  2020, Vol. 39 Issue (3): 307-320    DOI:
ARTICLES     
The Use of Metals in Tibeto-Mongolian Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine: Gold and Silver as Examples
Yongdrol Tsongkha1,2, ZHAO Shuyuan (Mugdun Tongtso)1
1. Institute for Tibeto-Burman and Altaic Studies at Lanzhou University,Lanzhou 730020,China;
2. Department of Anthropology at Indiana University, Bloomington,IN 47405-7100,USA
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Abstract  Metals are of great importance in Tibeto-Mongolian medicine(TMM), the extensive use of which has been a controversial area concerning the safety of TMM itself. So far most of the studies on metallic remedies have focused on their chemical and medicinal analysis and experiments on their toxicology and safety, whereas few of them have made comparative studies on records and application of metals in both Tibeto-Mongolian and traditional Chinese medicines from the classical literature of both systems. In the long history of TMM, these substances are made and prescribed with strict specifications and techniques within a highly sophisticated system. By comparison, the records of metallic cures in traditional Chinese medicine are rather general, their functions, toxicity and side effects inconsistent, preparations unclear, and prescriptions rather simple. This indicates an attitude of avoidance towards metals in traditional Chinese medicine, which can be traced back to the preparation and use of elixirs (lian dan) in Han Chinese history. It is a paradox that patients want to use these remedies to stay healthy and live a longer life, while they are afraid of the toxic effects. Over the years, TMM has hit a bottleneck in its spread and development, and this paradox serves as an internal contributor to the resistance it now faces. Based on classical literature, taking gold and silver as two examples, this paper aims to illustrate the safety guarantee of metallic remedies brought by exceedingly systematic and strict specifications for their preparation and application of these remedies in TMM, which, to a larger extent, may shed new light on the survival and advance of this medicine in a modernized context.

Key words： Tibeto-Mongolian Medicine      traditional Chinese medicine      metallic remedies      gold      silver      comparison     
Received: 10 June 2019      Published: 17 June 2022
ZTFLH:  N092  
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Yongdrol Tsongkha
ZHAO Shuyuan (Mugdun Tongtso)
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Yongdrol Tsongkha, ZHAO Shuyuan (Mugdun Tongtso). The Use of Metals in Tibeto-Mongolian Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine: Gold and Silver as Examples. Studies in the History of Natural Sciences, 2020, 39(3): 307-320.

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http://www.shns.ac.cn/     OR     http://www.shns.ac.cn/Y2020/V39/I3/307

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