The Tibetan medicinal bathing, which has a complete set of theoretic systems and operating procedures, comes from the traditional Tibetan Bathing Festival falling on the seventh or the eighth month on the Tibetan calendar.

Dec. 4, 2018 -- The photo shows Tibetan people bathing in the Lhasa River during the Bathing Festival.

Tibetan medicinal bathing, also knows as a Many-Flavored Dew Bathing, was first recorded in the Four Medical Classics, the classic text of Tibetan medicine, which is more than 1,000 years old. Tibetan medicinal bathing, knowledge and practices concerning life, health and illness prevention and treatment among the Tibetan people in China, uses either natural hot springs or herbal water or steam to adjust the balance of body and mind.  

As an important part of the Sowa-Rigpa of Tibetan medicine, the inheritance of the Tibetan medicinal bathing is concentrated around the Tibetan-inhabited regions in the Yarlung River Valley and the Zongka Mountain Range on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which is widely distributed across the Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai Sichuan, Gansu, and Yunnan provinces.  

Tibetan medicinal bathing do not require any special or expensive equipment, and most of the required medicinal materials are abundant. In addition, the medicine acts directly on the skin and pores, quickly reaching the disease area with no obvious side effects. Tibetan medicinal bathing is widely used in clinical practice.  

In 2010, Tibet initiated a program to collate Tibetan medicine literature and promote good skills. 18 such skills including Tibetan medicinal bathing, which were selected according to whether they are suitable for vigorous promotion, how simple the operation method is, whether they require medical equipment and facilities, and other criteria, are being promoted throughout Tibet.  

The launching ceremony for the “Evaluation Clinical Efficiency of the Yangbajing Hot Spring Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis” was held in the Tibet Autonomous Region. The project aims to solve the physical and mental pain of those suffering from rheumatism who have relocated to this area through undergoing hot spring baths and Tibetan medicinal treatments.