In ancient Tibetan medicine, the drug forms are varied, including decoction, powder, pill (bolus), and paste. There were also nasal and eye dripping and suppository. As time passed, the drug forms were mostly bolus and powder. The reason for this change may be credited to the condition of the plateau where preparation of a decoction was so much trouble. The boiling point there was very low due to the low atmospheric pressure, and some of the effective ingredients could not be dissolved in the solution under such conditions. By contrast, bolus and powders were convenient and more effective under such conditions. Most Tibetan prescriptions are compound recipes, with ingredients ranging from about 3-5 to as many as over 100, and, commonly, a score in number. In the compound recipe, there is one ingredient playing the main role of therapeutic action called the monarch (or king); while the other ingredients are ministerial, official and attendant ingredients. Within the compound, all ingredients are mutually promoting, offering synergies and strengthening to exert better effect, while at the same time they are mutually restrictive, making use of each other's strong points to overcome their own weak points. Thus, the toxic and side effects, if any, can be reduced to the lowest level.
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