According to Tibetan medicine, the following substances all help with phlegm disease.*
Pearls
These eliminate phlegm disease, especially if you are very close to death from that sickness. There are eight types of pearls. There are red pearls and blood pearls (rakta mutik), which comes from inside the body of a fish. The fish is a manifestation of a Buddha or bodhisattva. Then, there are pearls that come from the elephant’s brain, also from snakes’ brains, and pearls that come from water flowing for a long time through tree branches. These come from South India—fish drink the water and the pearls come from the fish. The common pearl comes from the body of the oyster. The lowest quality of pearl comes from water bubbles. This pearl is soft inside and looks similar to the one that comes from oysters. It is also similar in color.
Coral
There are three types of coral:
- Red coral is best
- Pink is medium quality
- Blood color (maroon) is the lowest quality. These stones help phlegm disease.
Mumen
We think this is Lapis Lazuli. It heals the four types of sicknesses. Mumen comes from water and rocks. It is blue-black and blue mixed with gold in color.
Conch shells
Conch shells that turn toward the right guide other conch-shell animals. The bodhisattva manifests five lifetimes as a conch-shell animal.
Your sickness is healed if you hear the sound of a conch shell turned to the right. Also, keeping such a conch shell brings harmony and no quarrels.
*Phlegm disease: The basis of the general theory of Tibetan medicine is the three humours: wind, bile, and phlegm. These three humours exist in all of us, whether we are healthy or sick. The cause of their existence are the three poisons: hatred, attachment, and ignorance. To be in good health all these humours have to be balanced. When a humour becomes weak or too strong, it creates imbalance and therefore, disease. Ignorance produces phlegm. When phlegm increases we become fat, lazy, and slothful. We feel like doing nothing, we don't even feel like eating. Phlegm diseases affect the upper part of the body. (Definition from www.peacenvironment.net.)
