Timing is Everything:The Time Journey of Tibetan Herbs

This is not the photo album of painters, but the “herbal kit” of Tibetan doctors. More than 300 years ago, Doctors of Tibetan medicine, based on medical works such as the Four Medical Classics, had vividly presented medicinal materials in the form of thangka, allowing readers to differentiate various herbs at a glance. Can you recognize this medical herb? This shredded-meat-like flower is called “Saffron” (or, Xizang Red Flower). Though the word “Zang” is contained in its name, the species originates from overseas. It traveled across the Asian continent, took root in China, and formed an indissoluble bond with Xizang – a journey that spanned thousands of years.

Saffron came from overseas and was initially used as a dye. After being introduced to Xizang, saffron gradually took root. The robes worn by Tibetan monks, the Potala Palace, and the walls of the Jokhang Temple are dyed with saffron as a raw material. Saffron’s distinctive fragrance also makes it a component in Tibetan incense. Although the place of its origin is not on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, it is the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau that truly makes it valuable.

After many years of practical research in Tibetan medicine, it has been discovered that saffron holds significant medicinal value in reducing blood lipid, reducing blood pressure, and lowering cholesterol. Now a recent discovery indicates that it has anti-cancer and tumor-suppressing effects.

Time is the key for nurturing good medicine. Some medicinal herbs, like saffron, have travelled through thousands of years and vast distances, leaving behind the footprint of benefiting humanity throughout history. Some herbs exhibit different medical effects across seasons, showing different seasonal forms and healing effects, and Cordyceps Sinensis is a prime example. It can improve immunity, relieve coughing, eliminate phlegm and nourish the lungs, with medical effects as mysterious as how the herb is called in Chinese – “Winter Bug Summer Grass”.

Why is it called “Winter Bug Summer Grass”? In winter, it’s the larvae of the bat moth that become infected by underground fungi on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. After dying from this infection, in May and June (the following summer), it grows out in the form of fungi. In mid-May, after the snow on the grassy mountain melts, the harvest season has arrived for this medical herb.

After collecting Cordyceps Sinensis, we should tread gently on the ground, refilling the hole with the soil that was dug out, so that its original appearance is restored. After finishing, all the areas would be cleaned up. When washing with river water, the dirty parts will be scattered farther away, or on the surrounding grass, and under no circumstances they would be poured into the river.

Tibetans hold deep reverence for nature. The theory of Tibetan medicine gives guidance on which types of medical herbs should be harvested during specific seasons. A year is divided into six seasons, each with a distinct growth cycle for medical plants.

Taking from nature and giving back to nature, Tibetan medicine seeks answers throughout thousands of years of medical practice, that is why they understand the secret of harmonious coexistence between human and nature. Evolving from once being a tropical paradise to the ice-and-snow-covered world today, the flora and fauna have endured and thrived here across generations, turning the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau into a “Hub Station” for diverse species, and leaving behind a touching journey of life throughout time.