A drungtsho is a traditional physician in Bhutan trained in Sowa Rigpa (gSo-ba Rig-pa), the centuries-old Himalayan system of medicine rooted in Buddhist philosophy, herbal pharmacology, spiritual healing, and astrology. Historically known as Lam Drungtshos — learned Buddhist monk-scholars who combined religious authority with medical expertise — these practitioners remain central to Bhutanese healthcare, working alongside modern biomedical professionals within a dual system that the government formally integrated in the late 1960s.
A drungtsho (Dzongkha: དྲུང་ཚོ) is a traditional physician in Bhutan trained in Sowa Rigpa (gSo-ba Rig-pa), the classical Himalayan system of medicine that draws on Buddhist philosophy, herbal pharmacology, spiritual healing practices, and astrological diagnosis. The term literally translates as "one who attends" or "one who serves at the presence," reflecting the historical role of these practitioners as medical attendants to high-ranking lamas and officials. Historically, traditional healers in Bhutan were known as Lam Drungtshos — learned Buddhist monk-scholars who combined monastic education with medical training, treating ailments through a synthesis of scriptural knowledge, ritual practice, and empirical herbal remedies.[1]
Today, drungtshos practise within a formally regulated healthcare system in which traditional and modern medicine operate side by side. Every district hospital in Bhutan maintains a traditional medicine unit staffed by at least one drungtsho and one menpa (clinical assistant), providing free consultations and herbal medicines to citizens as part of the government's commitment to universal healthcare.[2]
Historical Background
The practice of Sowa Rigpa in Bhutan traces its institutional origins to the era of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, who established monastic medical traditions alongside his unification of the Bhutanese state in 1616. For centuries, healing knowledge was transmitted within monastic settings, with Lam Drungtshos serving as both spiritual guides and physicians. The foundational text of Sowa Rigpa is the rGyud bZhi (Four Medical Tantras), a comprehensive medical treatise comprising the Root Tantra, the Explanatory Tantra, the Oral Instruction Tantra, and the Subsequent Tantra. These texts, which originated in the Tibetan medical tradition, address anatomy, physiology, pathology, diagnosis, and treatment through a framework that integrates Buddhist cosmology with empirical clinical observation.[3]
The formal integration of traditional medicine into Bhutan's national health system began in 1967, when the Third King, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, issued a royal decree directing Drungtsho Pema Dorji — who had trained at the Chagpori Medical Institute in Tibet — to establish a Sowa Rigpa system within the government health service. In 1968, a small traditional medicine dispensary was inaugurated at Dechencholing in Thimphu, marking the foundation of what would become the National Traditional Medicine Hospital.[4]
Training and Education
The Faculty of Traditional Medicine (FOTM), part of the Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan, is the sole institution in the country that trains Sowa Rigpa practitioners. The faculty offers two programmes: a five-and-a-half-year Bachelor of Traditional Medicine degree for drungtshos and a three-year diploma course for menpas (clinical assistants). The drungtsho curriculum covers the rGyud bZhi, herbal pharmacology, mineral and animal-derived medicines, moxibustion, cupping, acupuncture (including the distinctive Bhutanese golden-needle technique), astrology, and Buddhist philosophy. Students also undertake clinical rotations at the National Traditional Medicine Hospital in Thimphu.[5]
Prior to the establishment of formal training institutions, drungtshos were educated exclusively through the monastic system or through apprenticeships with established practitioners. Four monks from the Zhung Dratshang (central monastic body) were among recent cohorts to pursue traditional medicine courses, maintaining the historical link between monastic life and medical practice.[6]
Healing Practices
Drungtshos employ a holistic diagnostic methodology that includes pulse reading, urine analysis, and patient interviews, supplemented by astrological consultation. Treatment modalities encompass herbal medicines (compounded from Himalayan medicinal plants), moxibustion (the burning of dried herbs on or near the skin), hot-stone and hot-metal therapies, acupuncture, dietary and behavioural prescriptions, and spiritual rituals including mantra recitation and purification ceremonies. Out of 116 formulations currently produced by the traditional medicine pharmaceutical unit, 87 contain extracts from medicinal plants, minerals, or animal-derived ingredients, used to treat more than 124 traditionally classified illnesses.[7]
The spiritual dimension of drungtsho practice is inseparable from the medical. Healing is understood within a Buddhist framework in which illness may arise from an imbalance of the three humours (rlung, wind; mkhris pa, bile; and bad kan, phlegm) or from karmic, spiritual, or environmental causes. Accordingly, treatment may combine physical remedies with prayers, meditation guidance, and the performance of protective rituals.
Contemporary Infrastructure
By 2001, traditional medicine units had been established in all twenty dzongkhags (districts) of Bhutan, each staffed by a drungtsho and a menpa. As of 2025, the Department of Traditional Medicine Services oversees the National Traditional Medicine Hospital in Thimphu, two regional referral traditional hospitals in Mongar and Gelephu, seventeen district traditional medicine hospitals, and thirty-eight additional traditional medicine units. The department also manages a pharmaceutical unit that manufactures herbal medicines distributed free of charge across the national health system.[8]
The dual system of traditional and modern medicine in Bhutan is distinctive among the world's healthcare systems. Patients are free to choose between biomedical and traditional consultations, and both services are provided at no cost. The continued vitality of the drungtsho tradition reflects both the enduring cultural significance of Sowa Rigpa and the Bhutanese government's commitment to preserving indigenous healing knowledge as a complement to modern medical care.
References
- "Perceptions and attitudes of Bhutanese people on Sowa Rigpa." Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 2011.
- "Overview." Ministry of Health, Royal Government of Bhutan.
- "Introduction, Development and Present Status of Traditional Medicine in Bhutan." International Journal of Drug Development and Research.
- "Pema Dorji (doctor)." Wikipedia.
- "Bachelors in Traditional Medicine." Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan.
- "Four monks from Zhung Dratshang to pursue traditional medicine courses." BBS, 2023.
- "Traditional Medicine of Bhutan." Institute for Traditional Medicine.
- "State of Sowa Rigpa in Bhutan." Faculty of Traditional Medicine, 2013.
See also
Zhung Dratshang (Central Monastic Body)
The Zhung Dratshang is the Central Monastic Body of Bhutan, the official Drukpa Kagyu monastic order under the dual system of governance. Founded by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal at Cheri Goenpa in 1620–1621, it is headed by the Je Khenpo, supported by five Lopens, and comprises about 7,000 ordained monks who divide their year between the winter seat at Punakha Dzong and the summer seat at Tashichho Dzong.
culture·5 min readShana Cham (Black Hat Dance)
Shana Cham, the Black Hat Dance, is one of the most visually striking and spiritually significant cham dances performed at Bhutanese tshechus. It commemorates the assassination of the anti-Buddhist Tibetan king Langdarma in 842 CE by the Buddhist monk Pelkyi Dorji and symbolises the tantric subjugation of obstacles to the dharma.
culture·6 min readDrametse Ngacham
The Drametse Ngacham, or Mask Dance of the Drums from Drametse, is a sacred masked dance performed at Ogyen Tegchok Namdroel Choeling Monastery in Drametse, Mongar dzongkhag. Originating in the early sixteenth century, it was inscribed by UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008, having first been proclaimed a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2005.
culture·5 min readNational Institute of Zorig Chusum
The National Institute of Zorig Chusum (NIZC) is a government-run art school in Thimphu, Bhutan, established in 1971 to preserve and transmit the thirteen traditional arts and crafts of Bhutan. The institute offers four-to-six-year programmes in painting, sculpture, wood carving, embroidery, and other disciplines, and is the primary institutional mechanism for ensuring the survival of Bhutanese artistic traditions.
culture·7 min readShakam Paa
Shakam paa is a traditional Bhutanese dish made from dried beef strips cooked with dried red chilies, radish, and sometimes cheese. The use of sun-dried and smoked beef reflects centuries-old preservation techniques essential to survival in Bhutan's mountainous terrain, and the dish remains a staple of the Bhutanese diet.
culture·6 min readTaktsang Monasteries of Bhutan
Taktsang ("tiger's lair") is a class of cliffside hermitages across Bhutan associated with the meditation of Guru Padmasambhava and his consorts. While Paro Taktsang is the most famous, the network includes Singye Dzong in Lhuentse, Taktsang Pema Tsel in Bumthang and several smaller sites.
culture·5 min read
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