Tibetan formulas made in Switzerland – possible applications in mental health and well-being As a holistic medicine system Tibetan Medicine offers deep and unique insights into psychosomatic aspects of mental health. Moreover, it offers also means and measures to support mental health and physical and mental well-being. The nervous system and mental state are intimately interconnected with the digestive system and the immune system. These connections run via the brain-gut axis, the Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, and the intestinal immune system, nervous system, and microbiota.

The gut is therefore an effective way for therapeutic and preventive interventions, e.g. by nutrition and herbal formulations, as they are used in Tibetan Medicine. In the European legal and regulatory context Tibetan Formulas do not occupy a fixed place in the food-medicine continuum. However, irrespective of their legal status as medicines or as food supplements these formulas can be used alone or integrated in an existing treatment scheme in a therapeutic or preventive treatment approach. In my talk, I will briefly touch on regulatory, legal, and quality aspects of Tibetan formulas in the European context. I will also present several formulations available in different European countries and give some examples of their use in areas related to mental health and wellbeing.