Article ID: CBB695558502

The White Pill: Perceptions and Experiences of Efficacy of a Popular Tibetan Medicine in Multiethnic Rebgong (2015)

unapi

In this paper, I address the local perceptions and experiences of efficacy among producers and patients of a popular Tibetan medicine in multiethnic Rebgong, a regional hub of Tibetan medicine in Qinghai Province, PRC. Known as the ‘White Pill’—Rikar in Tibetan, Jiebaiwan in Chinese—it is often taken directly without prescription for stomach and digestive disorders that are common among Tibetan, Han, and Hui patients. I will examine the White Pill’s classical formula and how different local producers in Rebgong explain what makes their own White Pill so effective and popular. Based on interviews with patients of different cultural backgrounds, my research shows that the popularity of this Tibetan medicine is increasing among both Tibetans and non-Tibetans in Rebgong during the past decade. This is probably due to the new ways of producing the White Pill by specifically targeting common digestive disorders, which often and previously have been experienced as not being satisfactorily treated by Chinese biomedical pharmaceuticals. In particular, Rikar or Jiebaiwan is locally known and experienced to be simply the most effective treatment for stomach and digestive disorders without having side effects.

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Authors & Contributors
Hofer, Theresia
Gerke, Barbara
Tatiana Chudakova
Florian Ploberger
Yoeli-Tlalim, Ronit
Springer, Lena
Concepts
Medicine, traditional
Medicine
Medicine and culture
Pharmacy
India, civilization and culture
Pharmacology
Time Periods
20th century, late
19th century
21st century
18th century
17th century
12th century
Places
Tibet
China
Sichuan Sheng (China)
Himalayan Mountains (Nepal)
United States
Russia
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