Thai Ayurvedic Traditional Medicine
 |
The history of Thai Ayurvedic Traditional Medicine was recorded for the first time by Doctor Chiwaka Komarapaj, who was born in India during the lifetime of Lord Buddha. The doctor was an adopted son of Prince Aphai Rajakumar, a nephew of King Phimphisan of the Makot Kingdom, who went to study medicine at the School of Ajahn Thisapamok, in Takkasila, India. Later, when King Phimphisan was ill with hemorrhoids, he had doctor Chiwaka treat his illness. With only one external application of medicine, King Phimphisan was totally cured from the illness. The king then appointed Doctor Chiwaka as the Royal Doctor with the responsibility of giving medical treatment to the King and the royal families, as well as Buddhist monks. Doctor Chiwaka was therefore a very well-known and efficient doctor who was highly praised during the time of Lord Buddha. Later, when Lord Buddha set the date for his reaching Nirvana, Doctor Chiwaka prepared Him one tablet of medicine and informed Him that with only that one tablet of medicine, all His illnesses would be cured. However, Lord Buddha did not take the medicine and reached Nirvana on the day he set. Doctor Chiwaka was so sad that he hid himself in a cave to meditate. At that time, the doctor also spent some of his time studying many books of medicine that have become very precious to younger generations. Thai people pay high respect to Doctor Chiwaka as one of the first teachers of Thai medicine. |
EVOLUTION OF THAI TRADITIONAL MEDICINE THAI AYURVEDIC TRADITIONAL MEDICINE IN THE OLD DAYS
Sukhothai Kingdom:
A Stone Inscription of the Khmer Kingdom stated that around B.E. 1725–1729 (1182–1186 A.D.), King Chaiworaman VII performed some beneficial deeds according to his belief in Buddhism by setting up 102 clinics called “Arokhaya Sala” in the northeastern part of Thailand and the neighboring areas with appointment of certain medical staffs who were doctors, nurses, pharmacists, statisticians, and food and medicine preparers, of all together 92 persons. The King also carried out respectful sacrificial rites to Phra Phaisajaya-khuru-waithun-prapha according to the belief in the Mahayana Sect of Buddhism by offering alms of medicines and food before distributing the medicines and foods to patients. Today, the last remaining Arokhaya Sala clinic in good condition is called Ku Ban Khwao, in Maha Sarakham Province.
Ku Ban Khao, Maha Sarakham Province
Thai Traditional Medicine during the Sukhothai Period:
Drug grinding stones from the Dvaravati Period, the period before Sukhothai, have been found, and a stone inscription of Ram Khamhaeng the Great stated that Ram Khamhaeng the Great had managed to tend a large herbal garden up on Khao Luang mountain, or the Sanphaya Mountain, for the villagers to pick for medicine when they were sick. Today, the said mountain is in Khirimat District, Sukhothai Province. In the Sukhothai Period, the Buddhism of Hinayana Sect played an important role. Buddhist monks liked to carry out ascetic practices. Buddhist temples were the center of culture and education. It is believed that Buddhist monks during this period had good knowledge of herbal medicine to treat themselves and to help the people at the same time.
Thai Traditional Medicine during the Ayutthaya Period:
Thai Traditional Medicine during the Ayutthaya Period was a composition, adaptation, and application of local medical knowledge, led by a belief in Buddhist philosophy, as well as belief in occultism and astrology, which corresponded with the community’s beliefs then.
A record found from the period of King Narai the Great reveals that there was a clear system for the procurement of medicine for the people. There were many medical places where medicine and herbs were sold to the people both inside and outside the city walls. Various texts of medicines were collected for the first time in Thai Traditional Medicine History, which was called “the Royal Medicine Text of King Narai”. Thai Traditional Medicine then was highly prosperous, especially Thai massage. Western medicine began to play some role under the introduction of French Missionaries who had set up hospitals. However, they had not been popular enough and thus many were finally closed down. Thai massage was highly successful during the Ayutthaya Period. Thai Traditional Medicine During the Rattanakosin Period: Medicine during the Reign of King Rama I: King Phra Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke the Great had renovated and upgraded Wat Photharam Temple, or Wat Pho Temple, to be a Royal Temple and named it “Wat Phra Chettuphon Wimon Mangkhalaram Temple”, as well as graciously ordering the collection and engraving of medicinal texts and Thai massage texts on the walls of the small pavilions around the temple. The Department of Physicians and the Royal Medicine Hall were established during the Ayutthaya Period. The doctors who served in the Department were called ‘Royal Doctors’, while doctors who gave medical treatment to the laypersons in general were called ‘People’s Doctors’ or ‘Private Doctors’.
Photographs of the Contorting Hermits at Wat Pho Temple Medicine during the Reign of King Rama II:
King Phra Buddha Loetla Nabhalai graciously ordered experts in diagnosis and herbal qualities, as well as those with good medicinal texts, to report themselves to the Department of Royal Physicians in order to have the Royal Doctors study, select, and record Royal Medicinal Texts for the Royal Medicine Hall in B.E. 2395 (1852 A.D.), and also graciously legislated a law called “The Royal Medicine Staff Law”.
Thai Traditional Medicine during the Reign of King Rama III:
King Phra Nangklao Chao Yu Hua renovated Wat Phra Chettuphon Temple one more time and graciously had the medicinal texts on the causes of illnesses and how to treat them engraved on marble sheets. These were used to decorate the walls of the temple chapels and the small pavilions around the temple. He also had a large variety of herbs planted around the temple. All together, these were a way to educate people. Medical education was not limited only to the royal and official families. In addition, he also had Wat Rajaorasa Wararam Temple renovated and engraved texts on granite sheets on the columns of the porch of the main temple building. During this reign, Western medicine was introduced to the kingdom by American missionaries, under the leadership of Doctor Dan Beach Bradley, who arrived to propagate Christianity. The Thai people then called him ‘Mor Bradley’ (Doctor Bradley), who had introduced Western medicine to the kingdom like having a vaccination prevent smallpox fever and the use of quinine to treat malaria, for example. This was a development of both Thai Traditional Medicine and Western Medicine.
Medical texts on the causes of illnesses and how to treat them were engraved on marble sheets and decorated the walls of the temple and small pavilions around the temple.
Thai Traditional Medicine during the Reign of King Rama IV:
King Phra Chomklao Chao Yu Hua encouraged the spread of additional Western medical practices, for example, new means of childbirth. However, these could not change Thai people’s values because Thai Traditional Medicine was already part of the way of life from Thai people. It was an inherited, cherished tradition and culture.
Thai Traditional Medicine during the Reign of King Rama V:
King Phra Chunla Chom Klao Chao Yu Hua established Siriraj Medical School in B.E. 2431 (1888 A.D.). Medicines of both Thai Traditional Medicine and Western medicine were taught there. Medical textbooks were printed for the first time in B.E. 2438 (1895 A.D.), and were called “Inclusive Medical Texts, Books I–IV”. They were praised as the first national textbooks. Later, Phraya Phitsanu Prasanwet (Mor Khong/Doctor Khong) deemed that the texts were difficult even for interested students, so he had new medical textbooks printed, which included two books of “Inclusive Royal Medical Texts” and three books of “Brief Medical Texts”, which the Ministry of Public Health is still using today.
Siriraj Medical School Inclusive Medical Texts were the first herbal textbooks from the reign of King Rama V
Thai Traditional Medicine during the Reign of King Rama VI:
During the reign of King Phra Mongkut Klao Chao Yu Hua, there was an order to ban Thai Traditional Medicine along with the proclamation of the Medicine Act. The objective was to control the practices of the physicians, and at the same time to prevent dangers that could arise from the practices of those who were not legitimately eligible and had not practiced medicine due to shortage of education, examination, and public relations in medicine. The order and the proclamation resulted in many local doctors having to stop practicing Thai Traditional Medicine. Some burned their textbooks. The final outcome was that only a handful of Thai Traditional Medicine practitioners were qualified according to the Act and able to continue the medicine practices. A point to consider is that the impact had both the positive and negative effects.
Thai Traditional Medicine during the Reign of King Rama VII:
The Minister’s Law divided the practice of medicine into Current Medicine and Thai Traditional Medicine. Studies and research on herbs took place during B.E. 2485–2486 (1942–1943 A.D.) while World War II spread into the region of Southeast Asia. There were shortages of medicines. Professor Uai Ketsing, M.D. ordered the study and research of herbs for treating malaria at Sattahip Hospital. After WWII, shortages of current medicines were still major problems. The government then issued a policy to the Pharmaceutical Organization of the Ministry of Public Health to manufacture herbal medicines to treat illnesses. Thai Traditional Medicine and Private Organizations:
In B.E. 2500 (1957 A.D.), the Association of Thai Traditional Medicine Schools was established for the first time at Wat Pho Temple, Bangkok. From that year on, the AAMS has successfully branched off. Today, there are many Thai Traditional Medicine Schools that have been functioning continuously both in Bangkok and upcountry provinces.
Professor Uai Ketsing, MD. In B.E. 2526 (1983 A.D.), Professor Uai Ketsing, M.D., a modern medicine physician who had keen knowledge of Thai Traditional Medicine, established the Ancient Thai Traditional Medicine Restoration Foundation which later resulted in the establishment of the Ayurveda College (Chiwaka Komarapaj) that produced the Applied Thai Traditional Medicine Practitioner course of 3 years’ curriculum. Professor Uai Ketsing, M.D. is therefore considered the father of the Applied Thai Traditional Medicine Practitioners that has enabled Thai Traditional Medicine to be restored once again.
| WHAT ARE HERBS? | |
 thank you image from www.agricultureinformation.com |
Herbs, according to the definition given in the Act, are medicines that are derived from vegetation, animals, and ores, that are not yet processed (except drying), for example, vegetation that still shows its root, stem, leaf, flower, fruit, etc., and it must not be processed at all like being cut, ground, distilled, extracted, or mixed with other substances. However, in trade, herbs are usually transformed into many forms like being cut to smaller pieces, ground to power, packed to bars or peeled off its crust, for example. When mentioning herbs, most everybody would see in their mind vegetation used only for medicine because animals and ores are little used except for treating certain illnesses. |
THE HISTORY OF HERBAL USE IN THAILAND
 thank you image from www.look4thailand.com |
Thailand has a superb climate for the growth of all vegetation, and there are hundreds of thousands of species of herbs grown locally, both from nature and from plantation. Some herbs are used for manufacturing modern medicine. Many herbs are used as both local medicine and traditional medicine. The foundation of Thai herbal use was mostly influenced by India. Historical evidence has revealed that the Thai people had migrated from the Altai Mountains in China all the way to Thailand today, so it is logical that they had been largely influenced by the culture, tradition, religion, and illness treatments from China and India – one obvious piece of evidence is the method of illness diagnosis which is based on the Ayuravej Textbook of India. Moreover, the names of many herbs used to treat illnesses have a Pali and Sanskrit base, like the word “mali” which in Sanskrit is written as “malli”, for example. |
 thank you image from www.bacaixahoi.org |
Later during the reign of King Bhumibhol Adulayadej the Great, it was realized that herbs are both medicine and food for families. The nation’s stability is based on the many strong small families whose members are healthy, both physically and mentally. Therefore, the kng has graciously granted the implementation of the Royal Project of Herbal Gardens in Thailand in B.E. 2522 (1979 A.D.) by instructing the collection of studies and research on herbs from all angles, for example, biological technicality, medicine, medical treatment, and environmental conservation, especially with beneficial vegetation. His gracious grants have resulted in the creation of many herbal forests. In addition, broad research is also carried out by the Scientific and Technological Research Institute which aims for the essence of the herbs that are pharmaceutically rich from which herbal medicines are to be extracted to replace the synthetic medicines that are widely consumed in the modern era. Today, Thai people do not only use herbs as medicine, but they also process them for food and herbal beverages. However, we shall only discuss “herbs that are used as health tonics.” |
The foundation of the way of life for Thai people has lasted for hundreds and thousands of years. Among the variety of factors that are considered to create the identity that expresses the being of nation, of ethnic origin, and of being civilized, the one thing that has expressed itself so clearly is the art of blending and binding in the daily way of living of the Thai people. This art includes the culture of eating as well. For example, the setting of food trays and the technique of food preparation do not only aim for deliciousness, but also aim at the pleasantness of the setting and the placement of the dishes on the tray as well. So it is not at all surprising that the healthy benefits of Thai beverages are smartly hidden for the consumer so that they will not only absorb and admire the taste of deliciousness of the drink, but the benefit it offers to their health as well. The history of herbal beverages dates all the way back to the period of the Lord Buddha. Then there was a beverage called “ashbal” or “beverage”, and Buddhist monks could drink this beverage all day long despite the prohibition of eating food after the second meal before noon of each day according to the Buddhist discipline. This beverage is usually prepared from herbs or fruits that are quite hot, such as ginger, galangal, zingiber zerumbet, and lemongrass. They are to be boiled before adding a little sugar just to give some sweetness. This kind of herbal beverage is so popular and well known that it is now consumed among laypeople as well.
HERBAL BENEFITS
1. Can be used as medicine to cure illnesses.
2. Can be used for food.
3. Can be used to make cosmetics.
4. Can be used to make food supplements for better health.
5. Can be used to excrete toxins.
6. Can be used to make beverages.
7. Can be used to support economic stability.
