-- Yi Medicine

    The Yi medicines amount to over 1,000 kinds, including animal medicines, minerals and herbs, of which animals and herbs are widely used. The Yi iatrology usually chooses fresh herbs as medicines. The common application methods are pounding, kneading, external application, chawing, taking the extract and braising with chicken. The Yi areas, especially theLiangshanMountain, have produced abundant precious medicines including herbs and animals since a long time ago.

    The Yi people have been using wine for medicine for a long time. Wine holds an important position among in the rich Yi medicine resources.

    Research of the Yi medicine resources has developed both in terms of extensive exploration and clinical practice. Being researched systematically and deeply, some drugs with special effect have been developed into new drugs and put into production and achieved satisfactory clinic results.

-- Yi Iatrology

    The Yi people regard the basic elements in the world negative and positive, and heave, earth, human being and everything are created from these two elements. The Yi nationality has its own letters. The earliest medicinal literature of the Yi people extant today was written in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

    The Yi iatrology stresses not only treatment but also prevention of diseases. Preserving health and prevention of diseases are an important part of the Yi medical science. There are two kinds of treatments. They are internal therapy and external therapy. The former is mainly to take medicines orally, and the latter includes external packing, external inunction, steaming, washing, acupuncture, cupping and massage. The Yi medicine mainly contains herbs, animals, minerals, chemical medicine, soil and water.