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Experience Thai-Style Natural
Healing
A massage to restore balance among the elements. A herbal
sauna to cleanse and rejuvenate the body. A herbal pack
to calm nerves and redirect the energy. All this may
sound very New Agey in the West, but it has been part
of daily life here for centuries.
Before the arrival of modern medicine, herbalists filled
the dual role of doctor-pharmacist. Originally, village
doctors were monks or former monks, since Buddhist temples
were the center of learning, not only of religion but
of more worldly matters like astrology and medicine
as well.
Thai traditional medicine holds that the body has four
elements: wind, water, earth and fire, and ill health
results from an imbalance between them. To remedy an
ailment, the village “doctor” would make
a herbal pack for the patient to ingest, rub onto the
skin, or add to a steam compress. Another major component
of traditional medicine is energy. When the energy lines
are blocked, the individual will become ill, physically
or emotionally. A massage or sauna would be prescribed.
Thai-Style Herbal Therapies
Herbal sauna is no newcomer to Thailand. For many centuries
people with just about any kind of affliction would
visit a sauna, where herbal packs formulated just for
the ailment would be added to a water heater. The resulting
steam would be absorbed both through the nose and the
skin. The heat also sweated out toxins and cleansed
the pores. As recently as the beginning of this century,
hundreds of these saunas existed in Thailand, but with
the arrival of modern medicine most of these went out
of business. But even today, home-made herbal sauna—along
with a diet regimen packed with herbs is the post-natal
therapy Thai women, especially those living in the countryside
still swear by. Herbs also dominated Thai women’s
beauty and skincare regimens. Sour tamarind worked wonders
as a body scrub, for example, while crushed turmeric
would be rubbed onto the skin to keep it soft and smooth.
With the recent revival in holistic therapies, indigenous
herbs are being discovered anew for their health and
beauty benefits. Discover Thai-style herbal experience
at the following facilities, or at the spas listed in
the next section:
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