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Materia medica (English: medical material/substance) is a Latin medical term for the body of collected knowledge about the therapeutic properties of any substance used for healing (i.e., medicines).<br/><br/> The term derives from the title of a work by the Ancient Greek physician Pedanius Dioscorides in the 1st century CE, De materia medica, 'On Medical Material'. The term materia medica was used from the period of the Roman Empire until the 20th century, but has now been generally replaced in medical education contexts by the term pharmacology.
Anatomical drawing of a male body showing the bones and organs. Tibet - Early 20th century Thangka, Gouache on paper.<br/><br/> Tibetan medicine or <i>Sowa-Rigpa</i> ('Healing Science') is a centuries-old traditional medical system that employs a complex approach to diagnosis, incorporating techniques such as pulse analysis and urinalysis, and utilizes behavior and dietary modification, medicines composed of natural materials (e.g., herbs and minerals) and physical therapies (e.g. Tibetan acupuncture, moxabustion, etc.) to treat illness.<br/><br/> The Tibetan medical system is based upon a synthesis of the Indian (Ayurveda), Persian (Unani), Greek, indigenous Tibetan, and Chinese medical systems, and it continues to be practiced in Tibet, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Ladakh, Siberia, China and Mongolia, as well as more recently in parts of Europe and North America. It embraces the traditional Buddhist belief that all illness ultimately results from the 'three poisons' of the mind: ignorance, attachment and aversion.