India to recognize traditional Himalayan medicine Sowa-Rigpa

Plans to Indian Medicine Central Council (Amendment) Bill to accord legal status to Sewa-Rigpa system of medicine

Sowa-Rigpa, a traditional system of medicine practised in the Himalayan region, has been accorded legal status in India, through a proposed amendment in Medicine Central Council Act.

Sowa-Rigpa system of medicine be recognized on par with other system of traditional medicines as the union cabinet, under the government of India approved the Indian Medicine Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2009 for amending the Indian Medicine Central Council Act, 1970 to make necessary changes to accept the system of medicine.

Sowa-Rigpa is practiced as a traditional system of medicine in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Darjeeling (West Bengal), Lahoul and Spiti (Himachal Pradesh) and Ladakh region of Jammu & Kashmir.

Sowa-Rigpa, commonly known as ‘Amchi’, is one of the oldest surviving systems of medicine in the world, popular in the Himalayan region of India.

Sowa-Rigpa is similar to Ayurveda in theory and practices. Sowa-Rigpa also includes a few principles of traditional Chinese medicine. Rgyud-bzi, the fundamental text book of Sowa-Rigpa. is believed to have been taught by Buddha himself and is closely linked with Buddhist philosophy.

Legal recognition of  Sowa-Rigpa will lead to the protection and preservation of this ancient system of medicine and will help in its propagation and development, it is expected.

Sowa-Rigpa recognition will also open new vistas leading to collaborative research and scientific validation of the  the traditional  system, besides conservation and protection of the medicinal plants/minerals used in the system.

The recognition of Sowa-Rigpa  will also pave way to the setting up of a mechanism to regulate the education and this traditional Himalayan art of healing, according to a press release from Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The Sowa-Rigpa amendment bill, which has been cleared by the union cabinet, is expected to be introduced in Parliament in its next session which is scheduled to meet in November.

To confer legal status to Sowa-Rigpa, amendments to Section 2,3,8,9 and 17 of the Indian Medicine Central Council Act 1970, need to be carried out. The proposed amendments shall give effect to the inclusion of ‘Sowa-Rigpa’ under Sections 2,3,8,9 and 17 of the Indian Medicine Central Council Act, 1970 thereby recognizing this system legally.

Once the Bill gets approval in Parliament, the system of Sowa-Rigpa will get legal status in the country.

History of Sowa-Rigpa system of medicine
Sowa- Rigpa system of medicine is believed to have originated in Tibet. Rigpa is known nowadays as Tibetan medicine.

When Buddhism was first brought into Tibet in the eighth century, some of these medicinal texts were translated into the Tibetan Language, and enlightened rulers of that country became interested in the subject.

They started promoting the development of the art of healing, by organizing meeting on medicine to which they invited healers not only from the whole of Tibet and surrounding Himalayan countries, but also from China, India, and the Muslim world.

It is reported that all these conferences, all the different systems were examined and the best practices adopted and incorporated into the newly born Sowa Rigpa, which was then handed down from one generation to the next. This tradition was further enriched by the contribution of great Tibetan doctors.

The Four Medical Tantras, which were originally Sanskrit texts dating perhaps from the fourteenth century, are unanimously considered to be the basic work of Tibetan medicine.

Though it took shape in Tibet, this medical tradition has always been characterized by the diversity of its origins. It is based on Indian and Chinese traditions and has also incorporated ancient medical practices connected with magic and religion. However, in essence, it is based on the great principles of Buddhism and provides a comprehensive way of under standing the universe, man, and his sicknesses.

Indian sources, including Ayurvedic Medicine, were the most important. They provided the majority of the theoretical bases of the medical tradition, revealed to mankind through the channel of Vedic sages. Chinese sources also played a decisive role.