Knowledge of Folk Healers concerning Medicinal Plants and Herbal Medicines for Health Promotion: A Case Study of Mor Serm Jaitat of Yasothorn Province

Abstract

A qualitative study on the collection of the body of knowledge of folk healers on single herbal medicine and herbal medicine recipes for health promotion was carried out. The objectives of the study were to compile the names and therapeutic application of herbs used by Mor Serm Jaitat in Yasothorn Province, and to determine the pharmacological activities of medicinal plants and herbal medicine recipes that he uses for health promotion and treatment of patients. The data were collected by conducting an in-depth interview to learn about his knowledge and concepts of disease treatment. The local forest was surveyed in order to collect the herbs for botanical identification and for the preparation of herbarium specimens. A specialist from the Royal Forest Department was consulted for plant identification, and a literature review on the pharmacological and toxicological studies of those medicinal plants was then performed.
It was found that Mor Serm Jaitat was forced to learn by helping his grandfather take care of patients since he was 12 years old. After his grandfather died, he took up his grandfather’s responsibility in taking care of the health of the people in the community and he has developed his experience and career as a folk
healer from patient contacts. He has also generously transferred and passed on his knowledge to other folk healers in and outside the communities so that they all can help in taking care of patients. One of his students, Mor Prapas Maskao can now apply that knowledge in the treatment of patients. There are 106 herbs that he commonly uses; they can easily be found in the community, such as herbs for treatment of venomous snakebite and fever, and for the treatment of gastrointestinal tract and urinary tract diseases. Literature reviews show that those medicinal plant materials and their therapeutic applications comply with the principle of Thai traditional medicine regarding the taste and therapeutic efficacy of medicinal plant materials. For his herbal medicine recipes, the formulation and the preparation of such recipes also comply with the principle of Thai traditional medicine regarding main tastes of herbal medicine. The examination of patients is based on patient’s history and complaint, as well as information on food consumption, seasons, age and physical examination to determine the balance of the body, mind, and the environment. Overall, Mor Serm Jaitat commonly uses basic symptomatic treatment and also treats some chronic diseases, such as cancer of the intestine. The dosage forms of herbal medicines used are simple, such as decoction and granular medicine.
This study showed the benefit of collecting folk healers’ knowledge which could lead to further studies on the active constituents of medicinal plants, preclinical and clinical studies to develop herbal medicine that can be used more efficiently in patients.