THAI HERBS AND HERBAL PRODUCTS Part V

KrachaiScientific name: Boesenbergia rotunda (Linn.) Mansf.
Family: ZINGIBERACEAE
Vernacular name: Krachai
Krachai has finger-like rhizomes, shoots with up to four leaves, and a spike of white or pink flowers with a pink-spotted white lip. They are widely cultivated in Thailand and Indonesia for the spicy flavour. Yellow-fleshed rhizome flavours Thai food including soups, fish dishes, and curries. They are also used to reduce flatulence and to treat diarrhea, dysentery, and worms. In Thailand the leaves are regard as an antidote to certain poisons.
A perennial herb with a small, slightly branched dark brown rhizome. The fleshy roots are cylindrical to spindle in shape, yellowish brown in colour and are arranged at right angle to the rhizome. The leaves are fairly large, oval in outline with acute apex. The inflorescence is composed of 4-6 flowers, the flowers blooming gradually from the base towards the apex of the inflorescence. Individual flowers are reddish purple in colour.
The aromatic tuberous roots are used as condiments in Thai food. The rhizomes and roots are reputed to increase physical efficiency. They are used as an antidysentery and a carminative in traditional Thai medicine. The rhizomes contain 0.08 percent of volatile oil, composed of cineol, boesenbergin A, camphor, etc.

Coriander
Scientific name: Coriandrum sativum L.
Vernacular name: Phak chi
All parts of the plant, that is, tender stem, leaves, flowers and fruits have a pleasant aromatic odour. It is a popular flavouring herb and spice. An annual coriander grows from 30-80 cm tall and bears small clusters of tiny white or pink flowers. The seeds are spherical, ribbed, and 3-4 mm in diameter. The plant grows best in sunny situations. Whole seeds are brittle and easy to grind to a fine powder. Coriander fruits are usually dry roasted before grinding to enhance flavor. It is actually the housewife’s secret of tasty dishes, It is used almost essential ingredient in curry powder. Coriander fruits are used to be carminative, diuretic, tonic, stomachic, antibilions, refrigerant and aphordisiac. Thai dishes are flavoured with fresh leaves of coriander.

THAI HERBS AND HERBAL PRODUCTS Part IV

Galangal
Scientific name: Alpinia galangal (L.) Willd.
Family: ZINGIBERACEAE
Vernacular name: Kha
Galangal is one of the members of the ginger family. It is the rhizome of a plant Alpinia galangal (L.) Willd. The plant is about 1-2 metres high and has long narrow leaves and small white, red-streaked flowers. The rhizomes arc knobbly and ginger-like which are deep orange-brown in colour, aromatic, pungent and bitter. Dried rhizome pieces are tougher and woodier than dried ginger. It is used in soups
and stews, but remove before serving as they are unpleasant and woody to chew on. Its piquant taste is akin to cardamon and ginger. Galangals are used fresh in curries and stews. It is an essential component of Thai curry pastes and other Thai cooking. The rhizomes and its essential oil are used to treat catarrh and respiratory problems. It is also carminative and stomachic.
Both the fresh and dried rhizomes are used in Thai-style soups and curries.

Nutmeg Tree
Scientific name: Myristica fragrans Houtt.
Family: MYRISTICACEAE
Vernacular name: Chan-thed
Myristica fragrans is unigue among spice plants as it produces two distinct spices: nutmeg and mace. Nutmeg is the kernel of the seed, mace is the lacy growth, known as the aril, which surrounds the seed. Nutmeg was being used in China as a medicine for digestive disorders. The Indians and Arabs valued it as a treatment for digestive, liver and skin complaints, and both nutmeg and mace were held to be aphrodisiacs. The nutmeg tree is an evergreen that grows to 12 metres or more in height. It has dark green oval leaves and small pale yellow flowers. Nutmeg and mace are similar in aroma and taste, but mace is more refined. The aroma is rich, fresh and warm The taste is warm and highly aromatic-sweetish in nutmeg and more bitter in mace. Europeans have used nutmeg and mace most extensively in both sweet and savoury dishes. Nutmeg is a standard seasoning in many Thai recipes. The flesh of the fruit is used to make a sweetmeat.
An evergreen tree growing to the height of 8 to 17 metres. Its leaves are leathery, shiny, dark green and oblong-ovate in outline with acute apex and base. Its pistillate flowers are small, yellow and axillary. Its fruit is a yellow, nearly ovoid, fleshy, 2-valved capsule. The seed is surrounded by a fleshy, orange-red to red aril. It is cultivated in the southern part of Thailand.
The dried ripe seeds (nutmeg) and dried arils (mace) are used as spices. Medicinally it is used as a stimulant and a carminative. The seeds and arils contain myristica oil which is composed mainly of myristicin and saffrole.

THAI HERBS AND HERBAL PRODUCTS Part III

Chilli Pepper
Scientific name: Capsicum annum L.
Family: SOLANACEAI
Vernacular name: Prik
Chillies grow in all parts of the tropics, usually grows to 30 cm – 1 m (1-3 ft) high. There are many varieties of Chillies, varying in shape, colour, size and pungency of fruits Generally, the large, round, fleshy varieties are milder than the small, thinskinned, pointed types. They are used ripe, when they may be red, orange, yellow or purple, and unripe, when they are green. Ripe chillies are available dried, crushed, flaked and ground. Dry chillies is extensively used as a spice in all types of curry dishes. Fresh chillies are rich in vitamin C, they help in the digestion of starchy foods and may be taken as a tonic. In large does, chillies may cause stomach and intestinal burns.




Ginger
Scientific name: Zingiber officinale Rosc.
Family: ZINGIBERACEAE
Vernacular name: Khing
One of the oldest and most important spices is now widely grown. The fresh rhizome is knobbly, off-white of buff-coloured and often branched. The pale yellow flesh should not be too fibrous. The ginger plant grows up to 1 m on partly shaped sloped. It has narrow pointed leaves and small yellow, purple-lipped flowers. The hard, knobbly rhizome is about 2 cm in diameter. Rhizomes are used fresh or preserved. Ginger’s flavour is hot and slightly biting. In cooking ginger is mostly used fresh. It is an essential ingredient of curry powder and other spice blends, and is found in gingerbread, biscuits, cakes, puddings, pickles and many Asian vegetable dishes. It is widely used in medicine as a digestive aid. Ginger tea made by infusing dried or fresh rhizome in boiling water for five minutes. It is a warming drink and thought to improve the circulation.
An erect plant with thickened, fleshy and very aromatic rhizome. The stem is 0.4 to 1 metre high with long and narrow leaves arranged alternately in two ranks along the stem. The inflorescence is cone-shaped, borne on a long stalk which emerges from the underground stem. Individual flowers are greenish-yellow with a small dark purple tip. The rhizomes differ in shape and size in the different cultivars.

THAI HERBS AND HERBAL PRODUCTS Part II

Lemon Grass
Scientific name: Cymbopogon citratus Stapf
Family: GRAMINEAE
Vernacular name: Ta Khrai
Lemon grass is found throughout Southeast Asia. The culinary stem and leaf have a distinct lemon flavour. The base and lower shoots of the plant are used in cooking, and give a fresh, elusively aromatic taste in many Thai dishes.
A perennial tufted grass, up to 1.5 m has clumped, bulbous stems becoming leaf-blades and a branched panicle of flowers. Lemon grass grown readily in almost any soils, its bulb and leaves constantly multiplying. It is easily grown and thrives in a hot, sunny climate with some rainfall. It is better suited in sandy soil, which produces a higher content of the essential oil.
It is a common ingredient in Thai cooking. The coarse, long flat leaves are normally discarded, and only around 10-15 cm of the bulbous base used. If the lemon grass is to be eaten raw, the outer layers of the bulb should be peeled away until the pinkish ring inside appears; the tender portion is the finely sliced. Lemon grass is also bruised and added whole to many curry dishes, or sliced before pounded to a paste with other ingredients and added to many dishes. Lemon grass remains fibrous after cooking, so avoid chewing it. It combines well with garlic, shallots and chillies, and with fresh coriander to flavour fish, shellfish, chicken and pork.
In the past, lemon grass was prescribed to relieve flatulence and as sedative. The culinary stem is used for stomachache, diarrhea, headaches, fevers and flu, and is antiseptic. The essential oil is used for cosmetics and food, and in aromatherapy to improve circulation and muscle tone. The antiseptic oil treats athlete’s foot and acne, and when sprayed, reduces air-borne infections.




Garlic
Scientific name: Allium sativum Linn.
Family: ALLIACEAE
Vernacular name: Kra-thiam
Garlic has long been recognised all over the world as a valuable condiment for foods, and a popular remedy medicine for various ailments and physiological disorders. It is hardy bulbous perennial with narrow flat leaves, and bears small white umbel of edible flowers and bulbils. kra thiam clustered made up of several bulblets called cloves enclosed in a papery white or pinkish sheath. Garlic is used practically all over the world for flavouring various dishes. Fresh garlic is used in several food preparation in Thailand. Fried Garlic in oil is the most popular for seasoning in Thai dishes. Raw garlic can be used in the manufacture of garlic powder packed into capsules. Garlic purifies the blood, helps control acne, and reduces blood pressure, cholesterol, and clotting. Garlic clears catarrh, thus providing treatment for colds, bronchitis, pulmonary tuberculosis, and whooping cough.
The dried, mature bulbs are a popular condiment in Thai cuisine. Garlic is used in numerous Thai dishes where it serves as a flavouring as well as preservative. Thinly-sliced garlic, fried to a crisp golden brown colour, is used to garnish savoury Thai dishes.

THAI HERBS AND HERBAL PRODUCTS Part I

CHAPTER THREE

Spices

Spices are parts of aromatic plants which usually obtained from the tropics, including seeds, flowers, leaves, bark or roots. They are often in whole or ground form, and used for imparting flavour aroma and piquancy for seasoning foods. Many spices such as Pepper, lemon grass, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, mace and others were used in large amount in the kitchens for flavouring and preserving food. Hundreds of herbs and spices were used for making drugs, medicines and cosmetics. They helped to preserved food, to make it digestible, and at the same time provided the basis of their medicines. Spices not only flavour and improve the taste of the food, but supply uswith many nitritional prophylatic substances. Spices have long been concerned in Thai cooking. A quantities of species are also being consumed within the country for flavouring foods and also needed in medicine, pharmaceutical, perfumery, cosmetics and other industries. The plants are planted both ornamental and agriculture. Spices played on important role both in thc religions and Thai cooking since Sukhothai period. Until Ayutthaya’s territory (1350-1767), spices came from India as dried materials which were used for religious purposes such as Kritsana (Aquilaria agallocha Roxb.), Kamyan (Styrax spp.) by preparing just sticks, for food by using dried leaves and mature seeds of Krawan (Amomum testaceum Ridl.), Krawan pa (A. uliginosum Koen.) and Krawan thet (A. cardamomum Moton.). They were pounded and mixed together to brownish powder and used for medicine, perfume and seasoning food. The seeds of Krawan (Cardamon) and Camphor

Cinnamomum zeylanicum Nees) were used as aromatic plants. By the end of Ayutthaya period, Thai food were cooked by adding more spices which came from Japanese and. Malaysian, e.g. the rhizome of Khamin Daeng (Curcuma longa L.) gave the yellow colour for the soup, the powder used to make desserts, the mixture with Indian spices used for curry. In Rattanakosin period, spices were used more for instance Yi ra (Cuminum cyminum L.), Horapha (Ocimum basilicum L.), Kra phroa (Ocimum tenuiflorum L.), Maeng lak [(Ocimum americanum L var. pilosum (Willd.)Paton] Sims., Saranae (Mentha cordifolia Opiz ex Fresem), Ta khrai (Cymbopogon citratus Stapf.) Prik Thai (Piper nigrurn L.), Prik (Capiscum annuum L.), Kra thiam (Allium sativum L.), Ma nao (Citrus aurantifolia (Christm) Swingle) Ma khuea ther (Cyphomandra betacea Cav.) etc. others. Nowadays spices are an accepted part of Thai dialy lives of cooking. Spices are used as a whole or grounded as powder to be the mixture in sources, curry paste etc. They are used from cooking to medicine.



Most Favourite Spices
Translated by Ms. Kongkanda Chayamarit
Pepper
Scientific name: Piper nigrum Linn.
Family: PIPERACEAE
Vernacular name: Prik Thai

Pepper is native to the monsoon forests of the Malabar coast in southwest India. The pepper vine is now grown in much of tropical Asia. Pepper is the most popular spice in most of the recipes in cookery, to aid digestion, to preserve food and to enchance its flavor. Pepper has a warm, woody smell that is fresh, pungent and agreeably aromatic. Pepper is neither sweet nor savoury, just pungent, and can therefore be used in both types of dish. It is so popular that it has given its name to a wide range of dishes.
Pepper is a perennial vine with stout stem, dark green leaves, white flowering spikes and green to dark red fruit. The vine takes
seven to eight years to reach full maturity, and continues to bear fruit for 15-20 years. It is trained up posts of the trees grown for shade in coffee plantations.
There are black, white and green peppercorns. The black pepper which are the whole berries picked unripe and sun dried until shrivelled, is the most widely used, while the white peppercorns are ripe berries with the red skins removed before being bleached white by drying in the sun. It is hotter and less subtle than the black. It is mostly used by sprinkling it in powdered form on many cooked dishes. Green peppercorns are the immature berries pickled in brine or freeze-dried while still fresh, is not as hot and has a clean, fresh taste.
Pepper is said to help relieve flatulence and to have diuretic properties. It is the main source of heat in tropical Asian food.

Thai Herbs and Herbal Products

Thai Herbs and Herbal Products
The Art of Drug compounding in Traditional Thai Medicine


Within the past decade, there has been an in global awareness of environmental issues including the proper usage and preservation of natural resources. Thailand, in an effort to become self-reliant, has strived to fully utilize and protect the existing natural resources including medicinal plants. In solving the country’s health problems, the government has resorted to the use of medicinal plants in order to provide basic health care for the people. In spite of the fact that much of the research carried out on Thai medicinal plant has, in the past, been directed towards the isolation of active compounds for use as modern drugs, it is recognized that appropriate modification and development of indigenous drugs are of equal importance.


The intrinsic principles of traditional Thai medicine are propounded on the knowledge of
1. Drug matters. This concerns the basic knowledge of each drug ingredient which may be derived from plant, animal or mineral. Traditional practitioners must be knowledgeable on the names, description, colour, odour and tasted of each drug.

2. Drug attributes. In Thai medicine, drugs are divided into groups according to their pharmacological actions. The tastes ascribed to the formulated drugs are believed to be correlated to their ability to cure certain ailments. For instance, drugs with a cooling taste are said to cure ailments caused by the restoration of the wind element. Individual drugs are recognized as possessing astringent, sweet, bitter, acrid, nutty, salty or sour tastes.

3. Drug grouping. To facilitate drug prescription in traditional Thai medicine where a recipe may consist of 30-40 ingredients, a number of drug ingredients are grouped together. These may be ingredients with similar nature or attributes or they may be different drugs grouped together to form specific entities. Each of these drug groups may consist of two to nine ingredients. An example of these entities is “the two licorices” comprising Thai licorice (Albizia myriophylla) and Spanish licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra).
4. Drug dispensing or compounding. In traditional Thai medicine, a drug refers to two or more ingredients mixed together into an appropriate dosage form. The ingredients contained in each recipe may be classified into three main categories, namely the principal drug(s) , The adjuvant (s) and the flavouring agents. In general, twenty-five dosage forms are recognized. These include the more common preparations, such as pills, decoctions, alcoholic macerates, snuffs, poultices and suppositories. In addition to these traditional dosage forms, the Ministry of Public Health has permitted two more modern dosage forms for traditional drugs, i.e. tablets and capsules. Preservatives are also allowed to be used in traditional drug formulation.

Beside the main principles as outlined above, other factors also have to be
taken into consideration. These are


1. Specific Knowledge of drug ingredients. Since more than one drug plant may possess identical common or local names, traditional practitioners must be able to identify the correct species and to differentiate between useful species and poisonous ones. The knowledge on the part or parts of medicinal plants to be used is also essential. Other pertinent information includes the forms in which the drug ingredients are required. Some ingredients are best used fresh while other are used in the dried form. Certain ingredients may need to be detoxified prior to use.
2. Doses. The appropriate amount of each ingredient is usually measured out using the old system of measurements. An example of traditional Thai system of measurement for weight is given below.
1 chang (1.200 g) = 20 tum-lueng
1 tum-lueng (60 g) = 4 baht
1 baht (15g ) = 4 salueng
1 salueng (3.75 g) = 2 feung
1 feung (1.875 g) = 4 pai
1 pai (0468g) = 2 utt



Traditional systems for measuring lengths and capacities also exist.

3. Vehicles. These are liquids used in drug formulation in order to dissolve or to extract active constituents from drug ingredients. In many cased, they may act to potentiate the action of the principal drug. Vehicles used in traditional drug formulation include water, spirit and lime water, for instance. The potency of the elixir may depend on the choice of vehicle used.
4. Methods of preparation. Of the 25 dosage forms previously mentioned, in practice only four or five are in common use and these are briefly described below.

PREPARATION OF DRUG INGERDIENTS

All ingredients must first be washed and then cut into small pieces if they are to be used fresh. If dried ingredients are required, fresh. If dried ingredients are required, fresh ingredients are sliced thinly and sun dried.

Flued Extracts

Both fresh and dried ingredients may be prepared in the above explanation. The method is suitable for ingredients which are water soluble but may be unappetizing in their crude forms. To prepare an extract, the plant materials are placed into a utensil which may be a clay, an enameled or stainless steep pot. Water is added as stipulated in the recipe or until it just covers the ingredients. The mixture is then boiled for 2-30 minutes depending on the types of ingredients used.

Infusion

A somewhat simpler version of the above procedure, the method entails the addition of boiling water onto finely shredded ingredients contained in a small cup or glass with a lid. The mixture is set aside to brew for 3-5 minutes, after which the clear supernatant is decanted.

Alcoholic Macerates

This method is mostly used for extracting water-insoluble constituents from dried drug ingredients. Air-dried drugs are weighed, wrapped in a piece of muslin and then placed into a glass jar with a tightly fitted lid. Sufficient quantity of spirite (28-40 degree proof) is then added to just cover the ingredients. With daily stirring, the maceration process is usually allowed to proceed for a period of 1-5 weeks.

Pills

To prepare pills, Binding agents such as honey as honed or syrup are used. Dried and finely powdered ingredients are placed into a bowl and a small amount of honey is gradually added. This mixture is then kneaded into a large ball. The mixture may be shaped into small round balls by hand or with aid of a special tool. The finished pills are then sun dried for 1-2 days. The pills produced in this way may be stored in closed jars for up to one month.

As outlined above, the techniques of drug compounding in traditional Thai medicine are, in most cases, Kept simple with minimum requirement for sophisticated equipment, so that they could be practiced at household and community levels. With the advancement of today’s technology, however, the methods of indigenous drug production could be vastly improved to make the drugs more effective, safer and more acceptable to the modern generation.


TAMATRND



Scientific name: Tamarindus indica Linn.
Family: GEGUMINOSAE
Vernacular name: Ma-Khaam



The pulp is used as a laxative in traditional Thai medicine while the kernels from roasted ripe seeds are used as an anthelmintic for threadworms in children. The pulp contains 12-15 percent of organic acids including tartaric, citric and lactic acids.



PLAUNOI




Scientific name: Croton sublyratus Kurz
Family: EUPHORBIACEAE
Vernacular name: Plaunoi



ASIATIC PENNYWORT



Scientific name: Centella asiatica Urban
Family: UMBELLIFERAE
Vernacular name: Bua-bok


PLAI



Scientific name: Zingiber cassumunar Foxb.
Family: ZINGIBERACEAE
Vernacular name: Plai

The pressed juice from pounded fresh rhizomes has long been used to relieve sprains. The powder derived from the dried rhizomes is used in traditional medicine as an anti-asthmatic agent.

The Development of Traditional Thai Medicine and Thai Medicinal Plants II

During the Fifth National Economic and Social Development Plan (1982-1986), the Ministry of Public Health initiated a pilot project on the promotion of the use of medicinal plants under the sponsorship of UNICEF. The project, put into operation during 1984-1985, covered a total of 1,000 villages situated with in 25 provinces and primarily involved the selection of 66 medicinal plant species based on available data on their efficacy and safety so that they could be recommended for use in the primary helth care system within the designated areas. Other project activities included short training courses for rural health personnel as well as the production and distribution of promotional materials. With the cooperation of the Forestry Department, propagation and distribution programmes for selected medicinal plans were set into motion. Part of the funding went towards the setting up of a medicinal plant information centre as well as the mass production of a number of commonly used traditional plants, a number of research grants was offered for the studies on scientific, toxicological and clinical aspects of various medicinal plants.

Following the success of the UNICEF – sponsored project, another project on the use of medicinal plants in primary health care was initiated in 1985. Funded by the Federal Republic of Gernamy through the GTZ programme, this project concentrated on the formulation and clinical usage of five selected drug plants, namely Curcuma longa (turmeric), Andrographis paniculata. Cassia alata, Cilnacanthus nutans and Aloe vera. The projected area of operation was reduced to five community hospitals.

During the Sixth National Economic and Social Development Plan, further progress was made towards the development of Thai medicine and Thai medicinal ploants. As the result of the GTZ funded project, a new project called “The Development of Thai Medicinal Plants into Drugs” was introduced into the National Plan. In 1987, there was an amendment to the Royal Decree governing the practice of the medical professions to accommodate the newly trained Ayurvedic doctors. In the revised version, traditional practitioners were divided into two categories, namely the general and the applied traditional practitioners.

In that same year, the Ministry of Public Health published a book called “Traditional Thai Medicine- The Art of Self-Reliance” which acted as a guideline for futher development. Two years later, a centre for the coordination of the development of traditional Thai medicine and herbal drug was established. Its task was to devise strategies and coordinate activities leading to the advancement of Thai medicine and herbal drugs.

The government’s endeavor to affect the advancement of Thai medicine and gerbil drugs continues incessantly as is evident in its Seventh National Development Plan (1992-1996) whereby traditional Thai medicine, herbal drugs as well as other forms of indigenous health-related technologies, such as traditional massage, were to be revived, promoted and integrated into the existing health service system.

The success of the government’s efforts in the revival and preservation of an invaluable national heritage in the form of traditional Thai medicine and herbal drugs for future generations will depend on the attitude and perception of the entire nation. It is not unreasonable to envisage public consensus in the use of herbal drugs for common ailments and as health foods. Herbal drugs should be made available to the general public both in traditional dosage forms, as pills, fluid extracts and alcoholic macerates, and in modern dosage forms, e.g. capsules, tablets and ointments. When being ill, a person should have the option of choosing between traditional and western forms of treatment. The revival and preservation of traditional Thai medicine necessitates the commitment and cooperation of all parties concerned, including knowledgeable traditional practitioners, interested individuals, scientists, and health as well as law enforcement agencies. Such endeavor will not only help to perpetuate an important part of our national inheritance but will also result in the improvement in the quality of life for whole nation.

The Development of Traditional Thai Medicine and Thai Medicinal Plants

Over the past decades, government agencies have renewed their interest in traditional Thai medicine and Thai medicinal plants. This is probably a direct repercussion from the World Health Organization (WHO) conference on indigenous medicines held in 1977. The following year the WHO issued an announcement of Alma Ata urging member countries tto do their utmost to preserve their national heritage in the form of ethnomedicine and to include the use of medicinal plans into their primary health care systems.

In 1979, the Ministry of Public Health, in response to the WHO’s call for the revival of indigenous medicines, recommended a strategy on the development of primary health care to be included into the Fourth National Economic and Social Development Plan (1977-1981). The ministry was also responsible for appointing a committee called “The National Committee on the Development of Thai Medicinal Plans” presently “The National Committee on Thai Medicinal Plants”, to study ways and means of integrating the use of herbal drugs into community activities. In the same year, Mahidol University Hosted a seminar on indigenous Thai medicine culminating in a recommendation for the promotion and development of traditional Thai inedicine via the integration of both systems of medicine as well as promotion of herbal drug usage.

In 1980, the National Economic and Social Development Board commissioned the Faculty of Pharmacy, Mahidol University to conduct a study on the strategies for the development of Thai medicinal plants. This resulted in the recommendation of the following strategies to be carried out :

1. The development of Thai medicinal plants for use in primary health care.;
2. The development of Thai medicinal plants for use in traditional and modern drug industries;
3. The development of Thai medicinal plants as strategic supplies in case of war; and
4. The development of Thai medicinal plants for export.

In 1981, the government made a commitment to survey and implement the use of raw material from indigenous sources for the local drug industry in order to be self-sufficient. Research on the efficacy and safety of traditional drugs was also conducted so that they could be employed in primary health care. In order to realize these goals, a new division was set up under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Health. The division, known as “the Medicinal plans and Traditional Medicine section”, was directly responsible for the promotional and supporting activities relating to the use of medicinal plans and traditional Thai medicine in primary health care.

The year 1982 was another turning point for traditional Thai medicine, in that a foundation called “The Foundation for the Promotion of Traditional Thai Medicine” was established by Professor Dr. Ouy Ketusingh. Its objectives were to revive, promote and upgrade traditional Thai medicine, as well as to promote the research and usage of medicinal plants. The foundation also set up the “Ayurved-Vidyalaya” (Chewaka Komarapaj) in order to train a new class of traditional practitioners who not only possessed skills in traditional medicine but were also knowledgeable in modern diagnostic procedures.

Thai Medicine in the Rattanakosin Period

After the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767 and the establishment of a new capital in Bangkok, the revival of the nation’s economic, cultural and public health systems began to take place.

King Rama I , the founder of the persent Chakri Dynasty, ordered the renovation of Wat Po or Wat Potharam in Bangkok and renamed it “Wat Phra Chetupon Wimonmangklaram”. The King also gave instructions for the inscription of herbal drug recipes onto the walls of the temple in addition, there was an establishment of a royal dispensary in the royal palace similar to the one in Ayutthaya.

During the reign of King Rama II under royal guidance, there was an attempt to assimilate together a number of drug recipes to replace those that were lost during the war with the Burmese. Furthermore, Phra Chao Lukyather Kromameum Jesadabordin ordered the restoration of Wat Chom Thong and renamed it “Wat Raj Oros”. In the process of restoration, a number of drug recipes was ordered to be inscribed onto the walls of Phra Viharn and Phra Ubosed (principal buildings) of this temple.

In 1816, a Royal Decree governing the roles of royal drug dispensers was promulgated, thus emphasizing the importance placed on drug dispensing as a highly sophisticated art. Those bestowed with the title of royal drug dispensers must possess a high degree of honesty and integrity. It was, therefore, believed that these highly sought after titles probably remained within a few chosen families.





After his ascension to the throne, King Rama III began the task of the second renovation of Wat Phra Chetupon. He also ordered the inscription of drug formulae onto marble tables to be used to decorate the walls of the principal building as well as the surrounding walls. In addition to the drug recipes, these inscriptions also included the diagnosis as well as the cure for each ailment. Furthermore, numerous useful medicinal plants together with some rare species were planted within the temple’s compound. This move marked the first attempt to educate the general public on the attributes of Thai medicinal plants, Similarly, the restoration of Wat Raj Oros was effected with the inclusion of tablets bearing drug recipes which were used to adorn the columns supporting the corridors of Phra Viharn of the Reclining Budda. During this reign, there was a reintroduction of western medicine by the name of Dr. Dan B. Braley. Bradley introduced, for the first time in the kingdom, the practice of vaccination against smallpox as well as the use of quinine as a cure for malaria. It was a turning point in the history of Thai medicine.

The reign of King Rama IV saw many changes towards the adoption of various aspects of western civilization. There was much trading between the kingdom and the western countries. With the arrival of numerous trade missions, came western trained doctors. One doctor by the name of Samuel Reynold Haus, was said to have received much favour from the King. He was accredited with the introduction of modern obstetrical practice into the health system. The majority of public, however, remained faithful to the old tradition and culture.




During the reign of King Rama V, Siriraj Hospital was established in 1888, combining both western and traditional medical practices. There was, however, a scarcity of trained personnel to serve in the hospital. Therefore, Prince Dumrong Rajanuparp ordered the establishment of the first medical school within Siriraj Hospital. The school was to train western-styled surgeons and general practitioners. A course on traditional Thai medicine was also incorporated into its three-year-curriculum. In 1895, the first medical textbook called Paetsart Sonkhrau was published. The series consisted of three volumes combining western and traditional Thai medical doctrines. A new edition of this textbook appeared in 1904, in which the section on traditional medicine was virtually omitted. There were four volumes in this series. Next came Vejasart Wanna in 1907. It consisted of two volumes, wherein references were made to the various khampees or old writings on traditional drug matters. The 2-volume Tumra Paetsart Sonkhrau Chabub Luang consistiong of ten old writings on herbal drugs and traditional medicine constituted the first Thai National Formulary considered too complicated for most scholars, Phraya Pitsanu Prasartvej, in 1908, wrote a sim;lified version of this book, noting only relevant information. This series was entitled Tumra Paetsart Sunkape and consested of three volumes. These, together with the aforementioned Tumra Paetsart Sonkhrau Chabub Luang, are still in use today.

On the administrative side, the royal dispensary, first set up during the reign of King Rama I, was changed into the Department of Health in 1888. Its main functions were to take care of the sick, to make arrangements for the vaccination of the population against smallpox, to establish and oversee the operation of public hospitals including Siriraj Hospital, as well as to train doctors.

In 1891, two general drug stores, under the jurisdiction of the Department of Health, were opened in Bangkok. These were called “Osod Sala” or drug pavilions. The first of these was taken over from a missionary doctor and only sold western-styled drugs while the second only dispensed Thai medicine. Subsequently, other drug stores and clinics were opened in other provinces around the country.

In 1902, the first government pharmaceutical operation, called “Osod Sapa” was set up in order to manufacture drugs for the general public. At first, only western drugs were produced but they wrer not well recived by the people. Therefore, a number of Thai drug formulae was also included. During the reign of King Rama VI, many changes were forthcoming. Firstly, in 1913, the teaching on traditional Thai medicine was discontinued in the medical school since the two doctrines were considered incompatible and, therefore, tended to confuse the students. A course on the formulation of Thai medicine was also ordered to cease after being taught ofr only five years.

In 1916, the Department of Health was further expanded and three years later, all health related agencies were combined together to form the Department of Public Health under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Interior Affairs. In 1923, a decree governing the practice of the medical professions was promulgated in order ot safeguard the welfare of the general public.

The reign of King Rama VII saw more development which resulted in the complete segregation of the two systems of medicine. A law was promulgated which defined different classes of medical practitioners and, in 1929, came a ministerial regulation separation the medical practice into modern medicine and traditional medicine. This dealt a detrimental blow to indigenous Thai medicine which was already losing favour. During this period, however, the government dispensary was still producing ten traditional drug formulae for sale to the public. The cessation of the production of these traditional drugs by the government dispensary in 1941 marked the end of official involvement in traditional medicine.

Subsequent development on Thai medicinal plants was directed entirely toward modern medicine from the start of the first medical school in Siriraj Hospital through to the inception of the first Faculty of Pharmacy. Tith the establishment of the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation in 1940 and the Ministry of Public Health in 1942, serious attempts were made to examine the attributes of indigenous herbal drugs in order to transform them into modern drugs.

Due to the shortage of modern medicine during the Second World War, Professer Dr. Ouy Ketusingh was motivated to carry out a clinical study at Sattaheep Hospital on a number of Thai medicinal plants reputed to possess antimalarial properties. The study confirmed the efficacy or certain medicinal plants such as the barks of Oroxylum indicum and Nyctanthes arbor-tristis. However, the problem of drug shortage did not dissipate with the end of the war. The Royal Thai Government took measures to rectify the situation by assigning the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation to produce drugs from Thai indigenous plants. To achieve this goal, the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation engaged a German expert, Dr. Charlor, to conduct research on Thai medicinal plants and set up a medicinal plant garden at Bann Ang in the district of Makham, Chataburi Province. As the result of this study, a report, listing some 400 plants which had already been investigated, was published in both Thai and English. Prior to this, a project was initiated in 1938 to cultivate Cinchona species in Chiang Mai for the production of quinine. The project was later abandoned because it was not deemed economically feasible.

After the situation regarding the scarcity of modern drugs somewhat eased, the interest in medicinal plants also diminished. Sporadic research activites on Thai medicinal plants, nonetheless, still took place in certain departments of the Ministry of Public Health and various academic institutions over the years.***

Thai Medicine in the Ayutthaya Period

The system of medicine practiced during the Ayutthaya period was probably much the same as that of the Sukhothai period. Historical evidence pointed towards an integrated system of medicine incorporating the Indian derived Ayurvedic system and the Chinese system amalgamated with a deep-rooted belief in the supernatural, mystique and astrology. The principal philosophy of Thai medicine leans heavily toward the Ayurvedic teaching which is the attainment of an equilibrium among the four basic elements, namely earth, water, wind and fire, the very essence of life. To command respect from their patients, traditional doctors or healers must possess honesty and goodness in all their deeds. One of their virtues was to have veneration for their teachers. In Thai medicine, one of the most revered teachers was Chewaka Komarapaj, the royal physician of King Pimpisarn of India and personal physician to the Lord Buddha. He was lauded for his vast knowledge on drug matters as well as his skill in surgery.

During the reign of King Parai the Great, the existence of a number of drug stores serving the general public was well documented. There also existed a royal dispensary within the royal palace. In 1504, western style melecine was introduced into the kingdom for the first time by Portuguese merchants. Subsequently, there was an establishment of a western style hospital called “Ayutthaya Hospital” which was administered by a group of French missionaries. Under the pressure of such development, the royal Thai physicians united together to comply, for the first time in the history of Thai medicine, a book of Thai drug recipes called “Tamra Phra Osod Phra Narai”. Nonetheless, a number of French physicians found favour in the royal court and was, therefore, invited to contribute certain western drug recipes to this important document. Western medicine continued to flourish in Siam until the reign of Phra Ped Paja who ordered the banishment of all missionaries from the kingdom.

Thai Medicine in the Sukhothai Period

No evidence has been forthcoming on the subject but it is believed that a form of traditional medicine utilizing naturally derived drugs must have been in use during this period. The discovery of a stone metate and roller used in drug compounding from the Dvaravati period, which predated the Sukhothai perod, lent support to this theory. Furthermore, a study of the content of the “Ramkamhaeng Stome Inscription” revealed that, during his reign, the King had ordered the establishment of a large medicinal plant garden atop Kao Luang or Ka Suppaya which now lies in the districyt of Kirimas, a Sukhothai province. The garden was to serve as a source of drugs for the remedy of ailments for his subjects.

Thai Herbs The History and Evolution of Traditional Thai Medicine and Thai Medicinal Plants.

Thai Herbs
Chapter one
The History and Evolution of Traditional .Thai Medicine and Thai Medicinal Plants.

The possession of a sound mind and body has been impelled to search for cures for cures for his ailments. The act of physical healing constitutes, in all probability, one of the most important of human endeavours. Through the test of time, ethno medicine has evolved into an intricate art which has been perpetuated by the passage of knowledge down the generations within each ethnic group. Early civilizations spawned highly developed systems of medicine such as those practiced by the ancient Egyptians, the Chinese and the Indians. Evidence regarding the use of drugs and drug compounding technique, dating back some 3,000-4,000 years, exists in the form of old herbals such as the Chinese “Sern Nong Pen Las” and the famous Egyptian “Eber Papyrus” From these writings, it is evident that knowledge on drug usage is probably as old as the human race. Such knowledge must have been acquired together with the highly intricate art of frug compounding. The Eber Papyrus recorded the use of over 800 drugs which could be dispensed in a variety of dosage forms, such as snuffs, gargling solutions, inhalant, suppositories, ointments as well as oral dosage forms.

From existing evidence on drug usage by various ethnic tribes, it may be surmised that the inhabitants of the Indochinese Penninsula must have developed their own systems of traditional medicine long before Sukhothai became the thriving capital of the region. No evidence has yet been found to substantiate such claims except a stone inscription, dating back to the ancient Khom Empire, which stated that during 1182-1186, King Chaiworamon VII made merit in accordance with the Buddhist belief by ordering the establishment of one hundred and two Arokayasala (hospitals) in an area which is now the north-eastern part of Thailand.