A Quantitative Comparative Analysis of the Four Medical Tantras of Tibetan Medicine and the Aṣṭāṅga Hṛdaya Saṃhitā of Ayurveda: A Focus on Diet, Medicinal Materials, and Preparations

Zhuoma Garang¹Gebai Zhaxi¹Zhuoma Suonan¹La Mejia²Rizhun Luo¹Bai Bai¹Lame Lizhen¹Jingwen Zhang³Tsedien Nhamdriel³Silang Jiangyong^1*Yongzhong Zeweng^1*Ma Mi^3*Zhang Wang^1*

• ¹Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
• ²Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
• ³Tibet University of Tibetan Medicine, Lhasa, China

Aim of the study: This study aims to reveal and compare the use of diets, medicinal materials, and preparations as therapeutic means in the Four Medical Tantras and the Aṣṭāṅga Hṛdaya Saṃhitā, and to explore their historical exchanges between these two traditional medical systems. Materials and methods: ① Data mining: Relevant information on diets, medicinal materials, and preparations was extracted from the Four Medical Tantras and the Aṣṭāṅga Hṛdaya Saṃhitā, and entered into a Microsoft Excel 2010 table to establish the datasets, respectively. ② Statistical analysis: IBM SPSS Statistics 27.0, SPSS Modeler 18.0, and Gephi 0.9.2 were used to analyze the contents of diets, medicinal materials, and preparations, such as frequency, association rules, and complex networks. ③ Comparative study: The Mann-Whitney test, a non-parametric method, and the intuitive comparison method were used to analyze the similarities and differences in terms of therapeutic means of diets, medicinal materials, and preparations documented in the Four Medical Tantras and the Aṣṭāṅga Hṛdaya Saṃhitā. Results: ① Foods: The Four Medical Tantras document 153 kinds, categorized into five major types, mainly meat. The Aṣṭāṅga Hṛdaya Saṃhitā documents 392 types, categorized into six major types, mainly vegetables. There are 49 shared food types between the two texts. ② Drinks: The Four Medical Tantras document 65 kinds, categorized into three major types. The Aṣṭāṅga Hṛdaya Saṃhitā documents 81 kinds, categorized into five major types (including more sugar cane- and sesame oil-based types), and includes South Asian specialty drinks such as yellow cow urine, camel urine, and elephant urine. Among them, 18 drink types are shared. ③ Medicinal materials: The Four Medical Tantras document 1,115 species, mainly animal-based medicines, with 388 recorded efficacies classified into 17 disease types. The Aṣṭāṅga Hṛdaya Saṃhitā documents 762 species, mainly plant-based, with 40 recorded efficacies classified into 30 disease types. Among them, 227 medicinal materials are shared, with 21 overlapping recorded efficacies. ④ Preparations: The Four Medical Tantras document 2,678 types, with combinations following the principle of “coolness in warmth, and warmth in coolness,” reflecting Tibetan medical characteristics.