[Tibetan medicine in Europe: historical, practical and regulatory aspects]

Being one of the great medicine systems of the world, Tibetan Medicine developed in the 8th century AD and spread throughout central Asia over the intervening centuries. The first European contact with Tibetan remedies started around 1850 in Russia. By and by, they made their way as far a Switzerland where, in the meantime, they have been produced for more than 30 years and licensed by the health authorities. During the last years, comprehensive clinical and experimental research material has been generated on several formulas, especially on Padma 28 and Padma Lax. At the same time, a genuine European pool of experience was gained. Tibetan remedies are multicomponent mixtures. Special requirements on quality assessment, efficacy and safety arise on the path to a modern Tibetan multicompound. The production of such elaborately formulated com-positions has to take into account modern demands of GMPas well as traditional sources. In recent years, a rising popularity of Asian medicine can be observed. This need of patients, physicians and therapists also demands answers from the regulatory part. Aspects such as the justification of the composition (rationale of combination) and certain quality standards have to be newly defined by the authorities in this context. Only with adapted regulatory frameworks Tibetan medicines can find their place in Europe and, together with other medical traditions and biomedical research, integratively enrich the arsenal of intervention and prevention of Western industrial societies.