By Zhang Mingyu

    BEIJING, Feb. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Known as the "miracle of Tibet," the Tibetan medicine has begun to move out of the snowy plateau and enjoy popularity abroad. But how are the prospects of its domestic and foreign promotion?

A worker is pakaging Tibetan medicines in a workshop of the Jinke Tibetan Medicine Company, the biggest of its kind in Qinghai Province. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    According to Tibetan physician Zhonggegya, the Tibetan medicine poses strict requirements on processing mineral medicinal substances, such as gold, silver, copper and iron. With special processing techniques, these substances will become specific curatives following qualitative changes.

    But such medicines were believed to be highly toxic as they have a high heavy metallic content. Actually, modern research shows that these heavy metals in the Tibetan medicines are safe to the human body after going through strict refining processes.

    The Tibetan medicines are mainly produced on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau featuring the world's highest altitude, a sharp temperature difference between the day and night, strong ultraviolet rays and abundant biological species. Such a unique natural environment contributes to the high-content and high-activated Tibetan medicines.

    "Integrating the characteristics of the traditional Chinese medicine and ancient Indian and Persian medical sciences, the Tibetan medicine has been effective in treating cardiovascular diseases, prostate disorders, stomach trouble, dermatosis, and hepatitis," said Li Fangrui, CEO of the Jingzhu Tibetan Medicine Group, Qinghai Province.

    Zhonggegya noted that clinic institutions and research centers on Tibetan medicine have been set up in the U.S., Europe, Japan and southeastern Asia since 2000. A pharmaceutical factory producing Tibetan medicines has been built in Switzerland as well.

    Meanwhile, India and Nepal are considered another two major potential markets for Tibetan medicines. For geographic proximity, the residents in these two countries tend to accept the medicine's healing philosophy more easily.

    Other countries like the members of the Commonwealth of Independent States, Mongolia, Japan and South Korea also have shown a great interest in this medicine. Foreign institutes of higher education such as the University of Tokyo have centers for Tibetan medicine research and many Japanese have chosen to treat rheumatism with this medicine.