Traditional Medicine in Ladakh

Volunteer and Study Opportunities in India

By Jonice Owen

Northern India’s mountains of Ladakh, speckled with Tibetan Buddhist stupas, is known to Americans and Europeans for its trekking possibilities (www.indianvisit.com/ivnew/destinationguides/adventure/leh.htm), and nearby is Dharmasala, home-in-exile of his Holiness the Dalai Lama. During India’s sweltering summer months, April to September, you will meet Indians, Europeans, North Americans, and Ladakhis enjoying the sunny yet cool high desert terrain.

The area is also home to a form of traditional medicine called "Amchi," a close affiliate of Tibetan medicine, and there are opportunities to experience and learn more about this alternative medicine which is gaining worldwide popularity and attention. Closely related to Tibetan Buddhism, this prevention-oriented medicine captures the whole person by seeing general imbalances as opposed to individual problems.

Many organizations have arisen to staunch the dissipation of these ancient traditions in an increasingly westernized population:

Sojourn Asia sponsors a comprehensive study tour of Ladakh focussing on Tibetan medicine and herbal medicine research.

NOMAD is an organization founded by a French anthropologist where anthropologists from around the world come to study local amchis. The local NOMAD contact is the Goba Guest House in Ley, Ladakh, (J&K) India; Tel. 011-91-198225153; www.nomadrsi.org.

A NOMAD affiliate is Ladakh Society for Traditional Medicines, Rizong Labrang, P.O. Box No. 97, Leh, 194101, Ladakh (J&K), India, Tel. 011 91 1982 251537. Or contact Nomad RSI, 36 rue Bernard Mulé, 31400 Toulouse, France, Tél. 011-33-5-61-80-72-13; fax. 011-33-5-61-80-27-82; nomadfrance@yahoo.fr.

The Ladakh School of Tibetan Medicine, Ladakh, India, may be contacted by writing directly to the school. For comprehensive information on Tibetan medicine related matters go to http://www.dharma-haven.org/tibetan/medicine.htm.

In nearby Dharmsala, Men-Tsee-Khang is a teaching clinic providing traditional Tibetan medical care. Teaching includes, identification, gathering, and preparing ingredients for hundreds of different medicines, diagnosing and treatment. Students number over 50. Tibetan refugees as well as non-Tibetans receive treatment. Men-Tsee-Khang is located in Gangchen Kyishong, Dharamsala, 176215 District Kangra (H.P.) India; info@tibetan-medicine.org.

Medicinal gathering and farming are integral to amchi training. The International Society for Ecology and Culture sponsors of the Ladakh Project, headed by Helena Norberg-Hodge, gives people of all nationalities the opportunity to live and work with Ladakhi people one or more months during the growing season: www.isec.org.uk.

The Tibetan Plateau Project was launched to protect and conserve the practice of Tibetan medicine and assist local communities in developing income-generating projects using medicinal plants. TTP promotes the conservation of biodiversity and sustainable development: www.earthisland.org/ttp/tppframes.htm.

Programs for local people include:

Amchi Health Worker Training Program, which originated from the Leh Nutrition Project established by Save the Children Foundation (SCF), expanded into a program focused on training Ladakhis as Amchi practitioners to serve their local communities. The organization also works with The Yuthog Foundation (below). Local Ladakh contact: Tsering Samphel, Leh Nutritional Project (LNP), Housing Colony, P.O. Box 59, Leh 194 101 Ladakh, India.

The Yuthog Foundation may be difficult to reach, however, useful information resides on its web site. This German-based foundation was launched in 1997 to revive and develop traditional Amchi medicine, the cultivation of medicinal plants, and the preservation of endangered species, as well as the training of Ladakhis to become amchis: www.yuthog.org; yuthog@earthlink.net. Thelocal Ladakh contact: Tsewang Smanla, P.O. Box 101, Leh 194101 Ladakh, India. Tel. 011-91-1982527-03.

The Ladakh Society for Traditional Medicine was founded by Ladakhis concerned with problems facing Tibetan medicine in contemporary Ladakh. The organization offers training to local people in theory, medicinal plant identification and collection, and trainee placement with expert Amchis. Local contact: Ladakh Society for Traditional Medicines, Rizong Labrang, P.O. Box No. 97, Leh, 194101, Ladakh, India.

JONICE OWEN is a classically trained chiropractic physician who has taught homeopathic first aid, anatomy, physiology, and orthopedics in local alternative medical settings. She practices in Emeryville and San Francisco, CA.