Tibetan medicine was first used in 300 BC and the complete medical system was finalized in the seventh century at the height of the Tubo Kingdom.

The medical theories are compelling. For example, the fifth tangka painting of "The Four Medical Tantras" illustrates how a human embryo grows through the phases of fish, tortoise and pig before becoming a human. This concept coincides with the Western idea of evolution and has fascinated the medical world for centuries, especially considering that Tibet has the highest number of elderly people above the age of 100 in China.

However little is known about the details of this ancient craft and access to information has been always a challenge.

 "The Four Medical Tantras" (Sibu Yidian)

The 10-million word Tibetan-Chinese-English explanation of the 80 tangka paintings (called mantang in Tibetan) in the Tibetan medical classic "The Four Medical Tantras" (Sibu Yidian) by the Ethnic Publishing House will reach the country's major bookstores when all 3,000 copies are printed on October 20.

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