Direk Injan
The Office of Arts and Culture, Chiang Mai Rajabhat University
Herbal medicinal manuscripts, recorded in Lanna script, are widely found in all provinces in the north part of Thailand. Most of the contents of these manuscripts discuss medicinal recipes to cure or treat illnesses, along with how to prepare and use such recipes after the recovery period. However, some recipes also apply health care knowledge and are used while the body is still functioning normally. There are nourishing recipes for the body to be healthy and strong, or in accordance with the needs of the users. The result of the study on the body nourishing recipes in 12 Lanna herbal medicinal manuscripts from Chiang Mai, Lampoon, Chiang Rai, Lampang, Phrae and Nan relates to recipes for body treatments. They can be divided into four categories: 1. recipes for appetite; 2. recipes for skin nourishing; 3. recipes for pregnant women; and 4. recipes for general body nourishing. Pharmacopeia is a ready-made recipe that requires a specific formula. The name of each pharmacopeia is created by main properties or a core text that represents the properties of a particular recipe. It has also been found that rituals, incantation and beliefs are involved in the procedures, the preparation, the pharmacies process and the use of some of the recipes.
(Presented in the 2017 Chulalongkorn Thai-Tai Heritage Forum: Healing and Herbal Medicine (การรักษาโรคกับการใช้ยาสมุนไพรในวัฒนธรรมไทย-ไท), 22-23 June 2017, Le Meridien Chiang Mai Hotel, Chiang Mai, organized by the Empowering Network for International Thai and ASEAN Studies, Institute of Thai Studies, Chulalongkorn University, Lanna Studies Center, Faculty of humanities ,Chiang Mai University and Thai Language Department, School of Liberal Arts Mae Fah Luang University)