The Social Life of Tsotel

Abstract

No other compound in Tibetan medical pharmacology seems to be as fascinating, con troversial, and enigmatic as tsotel (btso that, lit. 'cooked ash'), the processed mercury sulphide ash that provides the base material of many of the popular Tibetan 'precious pills' (rin chen ril bu). The compound contains-apart from numerous herbs and other ingredients-eight metals and eight rock components. Tsotel practices, which can be traced back to the thirteenth century in Tibet, are considered the pinnacle of Tibetan pharmacology. The commercial value of tsotel gives it a strong economic and social life of its own. This paper analyses the social life of tsotel from an anthropological perspec tive and sketches key aspects of tsotefs biography, which in one way or the other are linked to medical, political, and religious perceptions of mercury: tsotel events with their political and institutional agendas; the value of tsotel as a medical, religious, and politi cal commodity; safety and toxicity debates; and tsoteCs religious and political efficacy. I argue that the social life of tsotel is increasingly linked to perceptions of toxicity and safety because of its chief ingredient, mercury, being contested in a globalised arena of tightened international regulations as well as the recent attention given to heavy metal toxicity issues in Asian medicines. Also, several fundamental misconceptions of the substance of mercury itself, its processed form of mercury sulphide, and of the con tamination of herbal ingredients with heavy metals will be highlighted. Examples are based on ethnographic fieldwork with Tibetan medical practitioners and pharmacolo gists in India and Nepal.

Anti-vibrio effects of the precious Tibetan pill, Rinchen Drangjor Rilnag Chenmo (RDRC)

“…It has also been found to eliminate grey hair, wrinkles and is also known to strengthen bones. In China, RDRC has made it to the UNESCO inspired 'Intangible cultural heritage list' in 2006 (7,8). Since its recognition in India from 2010, no work has been done to scientifically validate its claim that is to treat infectious diseases, there is not one single scientific paper on this pill to back up its claim.…”

The Buddhist–Medical Interface in Tibet: Black Pill Traditions in Transformation

“…For anthropological studies on tsotel, see Gerke (2013), and forthcoming. For recent toxicity studies on tsotel at the Men-Tsee-Khang in India, see Sallon et al (2006Sallon et al ( , 2017.…”

“…Thanks to Khenpo Chödrak for explaining these details to me. I previously published a wrong interpretation(Gerke 2013), thinking that tsotel was added to the rilnak in 1938. It was in fact the other way around!…”

Contested Issues of Efficacy and Safety between Transnational Formulation Regimes of Tibetan Medicines in China and Europe

“…Craig 2012 (chapter 7, pp. 215–51) focusing on the ‘birth-helping pill’ Zhi byed 11; Gerke 2013a, b on the practice of purifying mercury tsotel (Tib. btso thal ); Blaikie 2015 on the ‘jewel pill’ (Tib.…”

“…Ironically, in Europe jewel pills are perceived as being poisonous according to bioscientific standards of safety since they contain some form of mercury, cf. Gerke 2013a.…”