DHARMSALA, India – Fear of catching the deadly SARS virus has reached the mountain dwelling of the Dalai Lama and his Tibetan followers, who have been advised by traditional medicine practitioners to carry a small red pill and sniff it to ward off the disease.
“We’re not sure if it’s 100 per cent effective but it certainly can help,” said Tamdin, a practitioner at the Men Tsee Khang, or Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute, which produces the pill.
“Other means to protect yourself from the virus, such as wearing face masks, are also effective,” he told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
No special measures, however, have been taken to protect the Dalai Lama, although officials in his office said they will take precautions if the Tibetan spiritual leader is to meet people from SARS-hit Hong Kong or Southeast Asia.
Last week the Karmapa, the third highest ranking Tibetan lama, suspended his programme of daily audiences with followers due to fears of infection from the SARS virus, which has killed more than 250 people worldwide.
There has been no case of SARS in the northern mountain town of Dharmsala, and only four cases in all India, but “people are extremely worried because this is a tourist place,” Samdup, the director of the Tibetan medical institute, said Thursday.
During the past week, 40,000 of the red pills, wrapped in black cloth, have been distributed here at a charge of five rupees (13 US cents) each, and another 100,000 are being produced.
The pill is a combination of nine herbs gathered each summer from the highlands along the Indo-Tibetan border. One of the herbs is similar to garlic, widely believed to have properties that combat the common cold.
“Wearing and smelling this pill helps close the gates to prevent the virus entering the body,” said Tamdin. He said the pill should be sniffed in the morning, then worn on the body throughout the day.
