Good Health with Thai Herbs

Changes in contemporary society are responsible for breaking the custom of passing on to the younger generation traditional knowledge or folk wisdom. This is true with healthcare that incorporated locally available herbs applied in the simple methods practiced by our ancestors. Today, these methods can be explained scientifically.

Urged by the desire to revive and sustain valuable ancestral knowledge, Khun Dusadee Visuddisakchai, whose father was a 'village doctor' in the northern Thailand, founded the Doi Num Sub Project to promote the correct and sustained usage of natural herbs. The project is also meant to support and promote rural folk wisdom and to introduce it into urban communities, starting by enhancing original knowledge and then upgrading the production process to achieve better quality.

Postnatal care, in particular, is an extremely important phase for new mothers who have to endure a great deal of physical change; be it to the skin, blood circulation or expansion of almost every part of the body.

Without proper care, young mothers may subsequently suffer poor health and experience unusual conditions that cannot be explained. Among such experiences are hot flushes caused by a lack of estrogen hormones.

Traditional medicine practices suggest such conditions result from physical imbalances as the body undergoes gradual change at the initial stages of pregnancy. However, the act of giving birth is one of the most critical factors expediting this change. Under the circumstances, even the tiniest of blood vessels expands as result of prolonged pushes.

Postpartum lying-in by a fire begins with the mother and her newborn child bathing in an herbal sauna of fresh lemon grass water, or water diluted with herbal powder to rid both of odors left behind by the delivery. A salt pot is applied to return the ovaries to their natural position. This is followed by the application of an herbal compress to ease postnatal aches and pains. Then a massage is given with pure sesame oil and the compressed herbal applied to freshen and moisten the skin. Remaining in the herbal sauna helps dispose of any toxins from the body and refresh the complexion. The body is then scrubbed with herbal powder to dispel dead skin cells and herbal drinks help adjust the body and purge it of all wastes.

Our ancestors were selective regarding the places to be massaged. In general, aching areas were targeted followed by a compressed herbal of cassumunar, zedoary, turmeric, lemon grass, kaffir lime and leaves, tamarind leaves, Acacia Concinna and Cryptolepis buchanani, as well as a young climber to alleviate any bruising. Applied at the correct temperature, it will prompt skin pores to open.

Applying the compressed, when warm, to the targeted areas with a light massage. Enables the skin and muscles to absorb the herbal essence. Gradually, tension is eased; one's mind will also become clearer if the compressed is applied to the head. Recommended practice is to use two compressed intermittently to ensure continuous impact of the massage.

A compressed of sesame is another kind of herbal compress that helps adjust and balance the neurological and hormonal systems of the body. The main ingredient is black sesame, for its excellent properties of deep penetration that reaches every layer of skin. Massaging, using sesame oil that is rich in vitamin E, therefore makes muscles firm and helps rid the body of any toxins and waste while giving moisture and youthfulness to the skin.

Used in traditional herbal saunas, this exercise helps dispose of toxic waste from the body through the skin. At the same time, it is effective for people suffering from insomnia, allergies and asthma, among others. Herbs used in an herbal sauna are similar to those used in compressed herbal, with the possibility of additional herbs that are obtained locally. In using herbs in the sauna, a sachet of herbs should be immersed in a pot of water and brought to boil. The pot may then be placed under a chair or in a tented enclosure between 45° and 55° Celsius, which is considered the ideal temperature.

Herbal bathing refreshes the complexion and gives the skin the moisture it needs. Moreover, it also serves as a deodorant as it comprises such herbs as cassumunar, turmeric, Acacia Concinna pods and leaves.

There are other herbs products for health, including a wide range of massage oils like lemon grass oil, black sesame oil, turmeric oil, herbal saps and husk pillow with such stuffing as husks and other cereal seeds that hold the head and neck in the right position during times of sleep and give protection from fungi and bacteria.

All processes involved in the production of herbs for healthcare are enhanced through modern medical science for quality and standards. Raw materials come not only from herb farms in Chiang Rai, but from other provinces including Lampang, Nakhon Ratchasima, Pathum Thani with more herb farms likely to be needed in response to the growing market demand at home and abroad, for instance Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan.