Study of acute and chronic toxicity, i.e. probable negative side-effects of the preparations, e.g., allergies, cancer, mutagenic changes, etc.
Activities
Revealing contra-indications for taking Tibetan medicine.
Evaluation of the effectiveness and innocuousness of Tibetan medicine.
Clinical studies dealing with the introduction of the findings into medical practice and the public health sector.
Pharmacological studies on determining the mechanism of the effect of Tibetan medical preparations.
Cultivation of valuable species of medicinal plants.
Chemical and technological studies on the chemical composition of medicinal plants and their preparations.
Elaboration of methods regarding quality-control, standardisation and preparation of drugs.
Botanical and pharmaceutical studies dealing with the identification of scientific names of medicinal plants, their resource evaluation and biology.
Research on Tibetan medicine, initiated and funded by the Russian Government, had already started in 1968. The Department of Tibetan Medicine was established in 1975, at the Buryat Institute of Biology and Medicine of the Siberian Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The Buryat Institute of Biology and Medicine is the only centre in Russia which deals with methodical research on the Tibetan healing traditions and the introduction of scientific findings into medical practice. Today the department has four subdivisions (laboratories) which carry out research in various directions:
Laboratory of Information Supply
Headed by Senior Research Fellow D. B. Dashiyev
focus
Source studies of ancient treatises, their translation and publication in the Russian and English languages. The following Tibetan medical texts were translated into Russian and published in Moscow, Novosibirsk and Ulan-Ude: rgyud bzhi, bri sha, mngon mtsar dga' ston, kun gsal nan zod, et.al. The English version of the bri sha was published in London.
Laboratory of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Studies
Headed by Prof. T. A. Aseyeva
focus
Laboratory of Experimental Pharmacology and Pharmaco-therapy
Headed by Prof. S. M. Nikolayev
focus
Laboratory of Toxicology
Headed by Prof. I. O. Ubasheyev
focus
Apart from extensive translation work of Tibetan medical and pharmaceutical texts into Russian and English, new methodical approaches were revealed for the identification of names of medicinal raw material, drug preparations and diseases. Recently the department developed new trends in the field of phytotherapy, phytovaleology (means to protect and improve resistance and health in practically healthy persons), acupuncture, etc.
With regard
to practical aspects the most substantial results are:
The department collaborates on scientific research in Russia, Ukraine, Mongolia, etc. Establishing a new relationship with ITTM will help reveal the essence of the Tibetan healing tradition and prevent the duplication of efforts among researchers. Both will be a great benefit to modern medicine.
Dr. S. M. Nikolayev
Department of Tibetan Medicine
Institute of General and Experimental Biology
of the Siberian Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences
6 Sakhyanovoi Street
Ulan-Ude 670047
Russia
phone: (307-22)38863
fax: (301-22)30134
e-mail: biolog at buriatia.ru