Traditional Medicine

Thailand is an old country, rich in culture including its traditional medicine. I can remember going on a jungle walk in Chiang Mai province in 2016 with an older guide who would point out what appeared to me as random weeds, and explain their medicinal properties when drank as a tea. Traditional Thai medicine's origin is old and has roots in Chinese medicine, Indian medicine, and Buddhist medicine. Today it is practiced in conjunction with and complimenting western medicine practices.

Today Traditional Thai medicine (TTM), as regulated by the Thai Ministry of Public health, can be studied at university and includes learning about the four elements (tard) of the body; earth, fire, wind, and water. To achieve health the tard must be in balance, an imbalance of tard causes health issues. TTM practices includes midwifery, Thai massage, medical practice (which includes the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and symptoms), and internal and topical pharmacy practices (like the tea my guide described in Chiang Mai).

I had the honor of practicing some TTM with the elders of my community. Once a week, my SAO (local government office) invites a TTM practitioner to the campus to work with the elders. I do not yet have the vocabulary to understand the intricacies of the practice, but I found it very interesting and enjoyable. She began by leading some light stretching, and then led us outside where vats of "moonpie," herbs, were boiling. We sat down on benches and soaked our feet in ceramic tubs while moonpie was periodically poured into our tub. The sweet scented water could be used to cleanse all parts of the body.

Then, the TTM practitioner came around with a thick, orange, moonpie paste, fixing a thick layer of it to any sore knees or ankles with gauze and tape.

I haven't done any research on the science or effectiveness of TTM practice, but I did feel very relaxed by the end of the session. It was an excellent stress reliever, and I know that there is a large body of work on the link between stress and illness.

My information about TTM came from this article by the World Health Organization.

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