The Pharmaceutical Production of Tibetan Medicines

Abstract This photo essay documents the pharmaceutical production process of Tibetan medicine at the Dharamsala Men-Tsee-Khang in India. Tracing Tibetan medicine-making from the pharmacy gate to the clinics, and from the acquisition of medicinal raw materials to the prescription of pills, it offers rare visual and ethnographic insights into the largely invisible core of contemporary Tibetan medicine and its industry. By highlighting the expertise and experience required for Tibetan medicine production today, this essay underscores the complexity and sophistication of Tibetan pharmaceutical manufacturing in an industrial context.