Traditional Tibetan Medicine is a holistic approach to health care, and one of the world's oldest known medical traditions practiced in the Himalaya by Tibetans. It is an integral part of Tibetan culture and has been developed through many centuries, incorporating major components from medical traditions of India, China and Greece. The origin of the Tibetan medical tradition is as old as civilization itself. Because humankind has depended on nature for sustenance and survival, the instinctive urge to health and accumulated knowledge has guided Tibetans to discover certain remedies for common ailments from natural sources. For example, applying residual barley from chang (Tibetan wine) on swollen body parts, drinking hot water for indigestion, and using melted butter for bleeding are some of the therapies that arose from practical experience and gradually formed the basis for the art of healing in Tibet.