An ethnobotanical study, combining systematic botany, pharmacology and anthropology As a result of the study six species used in postpartum health care,
A total of 153 medicinal plants belonging to 62 families were used for post pregnancy care at different phases (Table 1) All these medicines were taken in post
expected to experience normal birth with care provision from midwives Botany I felt the after-birth process was super quick my daughter was
plants used for childbirth care by ¥unnanese Chinese in northern Thailand with food therapy after birth in order to restore women's health and prevL>nt
27 fév 2016 · 6 weeks after the birth of your baby • Care during your labour is provided by midwives at the birthing facility of your choice; Botany
plants and their ethno botanical importance in Central India plants in post-partum care among Malavedar and Pulaya caste, part of plant used,
care of neonates and pregnant and post-partum Mahafaly women in care Moreover, botanists who exclusively survey plants used by
![[PDF] FOOD AND MEDIQNAL PLANTS USED FOR CHILDBIRTH AMONG](https://pdfprof.com/EN_PDFV2/Docs/PDF_7/34891_7Wangetal2003.pdf.jpg "[PDF] FOOD AND MEDIQNAL PLANTS USED FOR CHILDBIRTH AMONG")
34891_7Wangetal2003.pdf
JournalofEthnobiology23(2):209-"226Fan;Winter2003
FOODANDMEDIQNALPLANTSUSEDFORCHILDBIRTH
AMONGYUNNANESECHINESEINNORTHERNTHAILAND
WANGLIULAi\l/WEERACHAINANAKORNbandKATSUYOSHIl
KylYtaUniversity,Kyoto606-8501,lapan bQueen5irikitBatllnicGarden,ChiangMai50180,Thailand KyotoJapan ABSTRACT.-Thispaperdescribesthefolkofmedicinalfoodsand plants usedforchildbirthcareby¥unnaneseChineseinnorthernThailand.A characteristicoffolkmedicineforchildbirthinthecommunitiesstudiedisthe pri:tcti(:eoftakinganherbalsteambath.Littleattentionhasbeenpaidtothis practiceintheChineseliterature.Morethan40speciesofsteambathherbs,xi:zno yao,werecollectedandidentified.nusherbaltherapyispracticedsidebyside withfoodtherapyafterbirthinordertorestorewomen'shealthandprevL>nt futurediseases.'x\mnaneseareconcernedwith'wind'diseasesafter birth.Therefore, foodandherbalpreventionof'wind'rather thanbalandng'hot'andIcold'asiscommonlyfuundinotherChinesecommu nities.Thispaperalsomakesaninitialethnobotanicalwithsteam bathherhsamongother elhnicgroupsinnorthernThailand. Keysteambathherbs,Chinesefolkmedicine,childbirth,comparativeeth nobotany,YuruumeseChinest;" articulodescribeeleonodmientopopulardelosalimentos medldnales ylasutilizadaspari'!clcuidaclode!partoloschinosYtill- naneses{;''llelnortedeTailandia.Unacaracreristicildelapopularapli- cadaalpartoenlascomunidadesestudiadaseslautilizaci6ndebanosdevapor conrnerbas"Laliteraturachinahaprestadoescasaatend6naestetipodepnk· ticas.Seeiclenhficaronmasde40dehierbasparaballosde vapor, x:izaoyao.EstaterapiaabasedenierbassepracticaparalclamenIedotta detipoallmentariotraseipaTto,pararestaurarlasaludde1amujeryprevenir enfennedadesfutlJras,LosYunnanesesestanpreocupadosdelas enfermedadesde'vientdtraselnacimiento.PorIaalimentacionylaterapla basadaenhierbasenfatizaIaprevend6ndelenvezdeequilibrarel'calor' y'fdo'comoescO!llun enotrasc(l1Ilunidadeschinas.Estaarticulohaceadem:!s unacomparaci6netnobotaniCP.ESUME.-£etarticle deaitIesavoirttaditionneldesChinoisduYunnanen Thallandedunordenmatiered'alirnentsetdeplantesmookinalt'5pourlesac couchements. L1coutumedesbainsde.......apeurauxplantesestcaraderistiqm;de lamedecinetradltiounellep(l',trlesaccouchementsdanslescommunautesetu diees.Ceafaitl'objetdepcuderedlercttedansIalitreraturechinoise.Plus de40especesdeplantesutiliseesdanscesbains,xizaeyae,ontefl'lrecueillieset identifiees.Cettephytol:herapieestpratiqueedeconcertavecunregimea!imen- taireapresl'pourr€tablirIasantedesfemmesetevilerdefutures maladies.Lespopulationsoriginalres duYunnanredoutentparticu!ierementlea 'maladiesduvent'apresXanaissance,Enlestraitementsabase d'alimentsetdeladu'vent'plutotque l'equilibrageduetdll.'froid'generalemt'ntpratiquedansd'autrescom- munauleschinoises.eetpresenteegalementunecomparaisonethnobola niqueinHialedesbainsdevapeurallXplante;;dansd'alltresethniesdelaThai landedunord 210WANGeta1.Vol.23,No.2
INTRODUCTION
In Chineseculture,;foodandplantshavelongplayedanimportantroleas medicine,andbothareusedinvariouskindsofhealthcafeactivities.Duringthe critical periodofchildbirth,Chinesewomenpayspecialattentiontotheirhealth. Folkmedicineinvolvingfoodandplantsforchildbirththereforeplaysanimpor tantroleinmaintainingwomenshealthinChinesecommunities. Thisstudyisaninitialreportontheethnobotanicalknowledgeoffoodand plantsusedforchildbirthbyYunnaneseChineseinnorthernThailand..Yunna neseChineseareoneofthesubgroupsofChineseinThailand\-Ilhocame overlandfmmYUllnanprovinceinandfromMyanmar,Theyhavelived withotherhinpeopleinmountainousareasofnorthernThailandforabout40to 50
years.AlthoughYunnanesearichknowledgeofplantuseandfoodsfor childbirth,few studieshavebeenreportedintheethnobotanicalworksofnorthern Thailand.Previousethnobotanica!studiesinthisareahavebeendoneonhill peoplesuchastheAkha,Hmong,Lahu,Karen"andMienAnderson 1986b,1993;
rakeBrunandSchumacher(1994)havedescribedtraditional herbal practicesamongnorthernThaipeoples. PreviousresearchonChinesefolkmedicinalpracticesrelatingtomenstruation orchildbirthhasbeendonein'll:liwan.HongKong,Singapore,and NorthAmerica(AndersonandAnderson1978;DUlln1978;Fishman.eta1.1988; Furth1992;KleinmanNgin19&5;Wu1979).Thesestudieshave explainedthelogicofdiagnosisandhealthcareforwomen,includingchildbirth, by applyingthc'Widespreadnotionofhumoraltheorybasedon'hot'and'cold'. Accordingtohumoraltheory,womenaregenerallymorepronetocoldnessbe cause oftheirpredominantlyyinnature,andwomenafterbirthareproneto overcoolingbecauseoflossofbloodandenergy(E.N.Anderson1980;Furthand Ch'en1992).Therefore,womenafterchildbirthareencouragedtotake'hot'foods and'strengthening l or'supplementing'(bu)foodstobalancetheof andvitalenergy,andblood.Basedonfield''larkintheYunrumese communities, theYunnanesewayofthenewmothersis entfromthosefoundinpreviousstudies,Contrarytoourinitialassumption,for childbirthcaretheYunnanesearemuchmoreconcemedwithprevt.'l1tingdiseases caused by'wind'(feng)thanwithbalancing"hofand InChinesemedicine,'wind'isregardedasoneofthesixnaturalenviron mentalwhichincludecold,heat,drynessandfire;an excessofanyoftheseltsixevils"(Reidisregardedasapathogenic factorinexogenousSymptomssuchaschills,hotspells,profuse SETTINGANDMETHODS
sweating,dmmi<;cough,andstuffynosecanbeby'wind'orbymix tureofandotherevilnaturalelements(au1988;Reid1(94).]foneisin a healthycondition,vitalenergystoredinthebodycanfunctiontocombatevil 'wind'. If,however,apersonissickorinaweakenedcondition,heorsheiseasily invadedby'wind'(Reid1994).Inthissense,theroleof'wind'inhealthand illnessisverydifferentfromthewesternattitudeaboutillness,whichconsiders germs tobethecauseofmanydiseasesandtreatmentaimsatcombattingthe specificgermswhichcausethevarioussymptoms. PreviousonfolkknowledgeofchildbirthinChinesecommunities hasnotreportedtherelationshipbetweenchildbirthcareandtheconceptofwind. Inthispaper,wediscussfoodandherbaltherapyrorchildbirthinrelationtothe conceptofwindamongtheYunnaneseChineseinnorthernThailand.Wefocus ontheuseofherbalsteambaths,whichplayanimportantroleinfightingthe diseasesofpostpartumwomen.Wealsocomparetheuseofsteam bathherbsamongdifferentethnicgroupsinnorthernTh.ailand. Thailandiscomposedoflongnorth-southmountainridgesand narrowalluvialvalleys.Itcoversanareaofapproximately138,000km 2,'n1e
Ping, Wang,Yom,andNanriversarethemaintributarieswhichflowsouthwardsbe hveenparallelmountainrangesandjointofOlmtheChaoPhrayariver.The monsoonalclimateoftheregionischaracterizedadistinctrainyseasoninJuly, AUh'Ust,andSeptember,followedbyacooldryseaSOnandthenahotdryseason, endingwithreturnofthesouthwesterlymonsoonrainsinMay()fJune(Smi tinandetal1978).TheforestsofnorthernThailandareclassifiedintotwomain categories:evergreenanddeciduous(Smitinandeta1.1978).Theresearchsitesof theYunnanesevillagesareinsituated500mto 1000111abovesealevel.
TheYunnaneseareoneseveralethnicgroupsinnorthernThailandthat originallymigratedfromYunnanprovince.insouthwesternChina.Theyarere ferredto asHoorChinHotheThaI.¥unnaneseinThailandincludeboth MuslimsandHanChinese,.butthispaperdealsonlywiththelatter.TheHan Yunnanesepopulationiscomposedofex-soldiersoftheYunnan-basedNationalist Kuomintang
Army(KMT)andcivilianrefugeesfromChinaandMyanmar.The KMTfledfromYunnanafterbytheCommtmistPartyinChinain1949 andtheex-soldierssettledinnorthernThailandfromtheearly19505tothe196013. ThemigrationofciviliansbothfromMyanmarandChinahasnotbeenthor oughlystudied,buttheystartedtoliveinThailandfromatleastthebeginning ofthe1950sandtheirmigrationhascontinueduptorecentyears.Thispaper dealswiththecivilianYunnanesewhowereborninMyanmarandescapedto ThailandofpoliticalturmoilandeconomicinMyanmar
the19708. ApopulationcensusoftheYunnanese(includingMuslims)isnotavailable be<:auseoftheirstatusasillegalmigrantsandthereluctanceofgovernmentau thoritiestoreleasecensusinformation.Aninformantwhoisoneoftheleadersof theYunnanesecommunitiesinl\1ai,however,estimatesthatabout70 211JOURNALOFETHNOBIOLOGYPall/Winter2003
Yunnanesevillagesexistandmorethan80,000HanVunmmesepeoplelivein northernThailand.Theirvillagesarelocatedalongthenationalborder,inareas suchas ChiangMai,ChiangRaiandl\.1aeHongSonProvinces.
ThefirstgenerationoflunnaneseusetheYunnanChinesedialectsfordaily conversationandmostthesecondgenerationcanspeakbothThaiandstandard Chinese.YunnaneseyoungpeoplestudyThaiatThaischool,andtakesupple mentarylessonsinstandardChineseatChineseschool,beforeandafterThai school. Atpresent,subsistencete'Conomyinthevillagesismainlybasedon culth'atingcashcrops.Thesecropsincludecom(Zeamayscommonb€ans (PIWS1,OlJ,ISVlul5nlrisL.),cabbage(Brassicaoleraceaval'.capitatllL),garlic(fllliumsa tivumL),litchi(LitchichirumsisSonnerat).Litchiisthemostimportantfor cashincomeandhasthehighestvalueofallcashItspriceperkilogram was 30bahtin1995.
Medicinal
plantsinYunnanesevillagesaremUectedfromdisturbedhabitats sucha-;paths,fieldmargins,andthefieldsthemselves.Peoplethereafeman.y morerarespeciesofasonetohigherplacesinthemoun- tainsortotheforest.Manyplantsarecollededinthewildtobere- plantedinthehomegarden.InoneoftheYunnanesevillages,therearesmall shopswhichsellChinesemedicinalsuchasfuzi(ikonitumsp.)andchuang (LigusticumchuanxiongHorO,andusedbothfordailycooking andmedicine,suchascaoguo(/imomumtsao-metLemaire),sltarell(Amo- mumxanthioitlesWall),bajioo(llliciumverumHookt),andhuafiao(Zanthoxylum bungeanumMaxim.). ThefirststageoffieldresearchwasconductedintwoYunnanesevUlages located inPaiDistrict,MaeHongSonProvince!andFangDistrict,ChiangMai Province.ResearchwasoutfromTunetoOctober1995,inMarch1996, andinMay1998.ThemaininformantsforthispaperweretwoMyanmar-born YunnanesewomenwhomigratedtoThailand;onelivedthmeforabouttenyears andtheotherabouttwenty-fiveForthefieldsurvey,WangLiuianwasthe mainfieldworkerandKatsuyoshiFukuiparticipatedasaresearchleader,giving fieldworkassistanceandadvice;botanicalidentification\vasdonebyWeerachai Nan.akornandthestaffoftheQueen5irikitBotanicGarden,ChiangMaiand RoyalForestHerbarium,Bangl"ik.Specimensofallplantsdiscussedinthispaper werecollectedinthefield,andaUwereshownto informantsduringinterviews. YunnanesewereinterviewedinstandardChinesehutinformantsreferredtosome plantnamesusingowndialect.TI1uSthevernacularsshuwnhereprincipally followedtheir pronunciation.InterviewswiththeLisuandKarenWt,reconducted instandardThai. ...... 2.12WANGet'II.VoL23,No.2
RESULTSD1SCUS5ION
FoodandPlantsUsedinPregnancyandCltildtlirth.-Rulesaboutfoodandplantuse arenotstrictduringpregnancychildbirth.AmongYunnanese,pregnancyis notregardedasadisease,andmaintaininghealthbyfollowingordinaryeating isconsidt:redsufficientforanorm.aldelivery.As¥unnaneseareless concerned abouthealthbeforechildbirth,informationonfolkmedidneusedbe fore andduringchildbirthisscarce.Somepeopledonotbelieveinanykindof Fall/Winter2003JOURNAL01'ETHNOBIOlOGY213
restrictionsonfoodandButsomefolkknowledgeoffoodandplant usewascollectedfrominterviewsandbotanicalinvestigation,Thefollowingsare some examples. Theleafofzhuinti(Laporteasp.)isboiledanddrunktostimulatedelivery whena womanhassufferedlong,seriouspains.ThewotofzllijiahUllor jingfenghU(I(ImpatiensbalsaminaL)isboiledanddrunktopreventearlydelivery. Rimshen(ginseng,PtmaxginsengC.A.Mey.)isusefultosupplementenergyand increasestrengthfordelivery,sochewingitisencouragedduringlabor.Amixture ofricewineandpepperisusedtoeaseduringdelivery.Boiledeggs arebelievedtogiveanewbornbabyhandsomelooksandcoconutjuiceisdrunk tomakethebaby'sskinsmoothand.itshairshiny.Fromtheseobservationsit seemsthatknowledgeoffolkconcerningchildbirthisnolconsistently sharedtheYunnanese.Theknowledgetheyhaveismoreorlessappliedto cureparticularsymptomsordiseasesofthemotherortochoosefoodsthatmay begoodforthenewbaby. Folk""1edicineafterBirth.--Comparedtofolkmedicinepracticedduringpregnancy ordelivery,healthcareafterbirthismoreorthesameintheYunnanese communities. Afterchildbirth,Yunmmeseareverycautiousaboutdiseasescaused bywind({eng).Theythinkawomanaftergivingbirthlacksenoughenergy(qi) andblood(xue)tocombatevilwind.Windisconsideredtoinvadethehuman bodynotonlythroughtheskin,mouth,andnose,butalsothrough tomscausedbyhavingtaomuchwindinsidethebodyareexpressedas causedbywindenergy'(fengqizhong)bytheYunnanese,andiftoomuchwind accumulatesinthebody,itisbelievedtocaUSehemiplegia.Therefore,afterdeliv ery,Yunnanesemothershaveonemonth'scalledzuoyue'Zi'doingthemonth', to preventwind-relatedillnessandrestoretheirhealth.'Doingthemonth'isa typicalpracticeofwomeninChinesecommunitieswhojustgivenbirth;the ·women
liestillwithoutdoinganylabororhouseworkandeat'supplementing' (bu)foodstoregaintheirhealthandinnerbalance(E.N.Anderson1996).InYun nanesecot1lmunities,women willhome,takingcareofthenewbornbaby, andwillnotengageinanykindofhouse';vorkorlaborinthefield.Thehusbands orwillcarryoutthewives'usualwork,suchascooking,washingdothes, andAthome,'i;\lOmenwillconcentrateonhealingtheirbodybywe:arilng longshirts,pants,sock.'l!andahat,soastopreventwindenteringthebody. Inaddition,womenareencouragedtotakesomefoodandherbaltherapies,as explainedbelow,intoregainhealthandpreventillness. FoodTherapyAfterChildbirth.-S0111efoodsareclassifiedasawindattri bute. areregardedaspoisonous(du)topostpartumwomenandafetherefore avoidedforamonthaftercl1ildbirth.TheyarecaUedfoodswith'bigwind'(jrmg or'heavinesscausedbywindenergy'(timgqizhong).AccordingtotheYun- nanese,leafyvegetables,eggplant,pumpkin,taro,andporkareclassified as foodwithwind,andregardedasespeciallypoisonousafterbirth,Green leafyvegetablesarebelievedtocausediarrheainboththemotherandbaby. Eggplant,
andbambooshootswillcausemusclecrampsandpainsinthe joints;pumpkinandtaro..villcauseitchingoftheskin.Aspork,somesayit shouldnotbeeatenduringthepostpartumperiodbecauseitbigwind,and 214WANGetal.Vol.23,No.2
otherssaythatcertainkindsofporkarelessharmfultoawoman'sbody.For example, themeatofadultpigsisavoidedbecauseitmaycauseconvulsivefits leadingtodeathinanewmother.Young andcastratedmalesoryoungandvirgin femalesareacceptable,however, asitisbelievedthatthesearefengxiao'foodwith smallwind',whichislessharmfultoawoman'sbody. Aftergiving
birth,womenmainlyeatchickenmeatandhens'eggs.Chicken, oneofthebasic andpopularlyeaten'supplementing'foods,ishighinprotein andrichinmineralnutrients(LN.Anderson1988),andisthusfavoredafterbirth among Chinesecommunities(E.N.Anderson1980,1996;AndersonandAnderson 1978;FishmanetaL1988).Yunnanesealsotakeittosupplementvitalenergyand
blood,toactivatebloodcirculation,andtostrengthenresistancetoevilwind enteringthebody.Chickenswithblackfeathersanddark-eoloredmeat(lieiji)are consideredthe besttosupplementvitalenergy,andaremadeintochickensoup. Aschickenissoimportant,some
newmotherspayspecialattentionwhenchoos ingchickenmeat.Somebelievethatcocks arepoisonousandwillcausecramps. Otherwillnoteatachickenwithyellowlegsorayellowbeakbecauseitm,1y leadtojaundiceinthebaby. Eggsareboiled
withricewinecalledbaijiuinordertomakeadishcalled ,ulanbaijiu'ricewinewitheggs'.Ricewineisalsousedasa'supplementing'food inotherChinesecommunities,suchas inSingapore(Wu1979).Thisjidanbaiji" willwarmtheinsideofthebodyandmakebloodcirculationmoreactive.One informantatejidanbaijiufivetimesadayafterchildbirth.Itseemsthatblood stasis anddepletionaremajorconcernsfor\-vomenafterbirthThereareeven somewomenwhodrinkfreshurineofyoungboysagedaboutonetothreeyears old,mixed withsanqi(Panaxnotoginseng(Burk)EH.Chen)foritstonkeffect,to tackleblooddepletionandstasis(Gengeta!.1991). Alongwiththese'supplementing'foods,theyeatnon-glutinousrice,ricenoo dles, andvegetablessuchasrumdau(pea,PisumsativumL.).Thesefoodsare consideredto belessharmfultothebodyandarecategorizedas'foodwithout wind'. Pisumsativumismixedwithporkbonebrothandisalsogoodforpre ventingconstipation. Besides
windrelatedfoodtherapy,some'cooling'(liang)foods,whichinclude thefruits mangoandpapaya,arealsoprohibited.Freshwatermustbeboiled oncebeforedrinking.Althoughthispractice mayberelatedtowhatisknownas hot andcoldtheory,villagersdonotemphasizethisconcept;theyjustknowthat eating'cooling'foodswillcausestomachache.Strongspicesandsourfoodsare carefullyavoided,too.Somepeopleuse caaguo(Amomumtsao-ko)andsharen (Amomumxtmthioides)orpepperinsteadofchimes(CapsicumannuumL).Others avoidusing caoguoforamonthafterdeliverybecausetheybelieveitcancause diseaseinthetesticlesofanewmalebaby.Therearealsosomemotherswho soaksaltinhotwaterorboilitbeforeusingit.Theybelievethatiftheyusesalt thathas notbeenheated,thesaltwillcausekidneytrouble. SteamBathPtants.-WhileshewascollectingmedicinalplantsinoneoftheYun nanese villages,Wangcameacrossaplantcategorywithwhichshewasunfa miliar,calledxizaoyao'plantsforbathing'.Throughinterviews,shelearnedthat plantsinthiscategoryareusedforsteambathsandareanimportantpartoffolk FaU/Winter2003JOURNALOFETHNOBIOLOGY215
medicinaltherapyespeciallyafterchildbirth.AccordingtotheYunnanesc,taking herbal steambathsafterchildbirthisindispensableandfie1A'mothershavebeen encouragedtofollowthispracticeforgenerations.Thesteambathitselfiscalled yaozao.Womentakeherbalsteambathsafterdeliverybecausetheybelievevapor fromtheherbswillbloodcirculationaswellasdL'ipersing(san)stagnant blooddelivery.stronglythatbloodcirculationin- creases awoman'sresistancetoevilwind,andthereforecanpreventwind-related conditiorLqcausedbybirth,suchaspainsinkneeandelbowjoints,musclepains, andchronicbackache,Steambathherbsarealsoappropriateforwashingnewborn andforcuringandpreventingskindiseasesinbothsexes. Duringfieldwork,variouskindsofmedicinalplantsusedforsteambaths werecollected(Table1),ThesernedkinaJplantswerelocatedalongthepathsto thefields,fieldedges,infields,al1(!alongroadsides,bothinandoutsidethe villages(Figure1).Somewerealsoplantedinthehomegardensofthevillagers. When theYunnaneseusestearnbathherbsasmedicine,theyusuallyusewhole plants, buttheseparatedleavesandsometimesflowersarealsoused.Yunnanese believe thatmorediversifiedspeciesuse,themoreeffectiveitwillbe. Althoughpe()plediffersomewhatintheirchoiceofmedicinalplantsforsteam baths,somesteambathherbsarecommonlybelievedtobemoreefficaciousthan others.Theseplantsarebing(BlumeabalsarniferaDC),coo(Viburnum inopinatumCraib),linzhiCCJ()pankularaWall.exNees),rnanjil1::::i (Vitexsp.),wujia(Ac!1rlthoptmaxaculeatumSeem.),andXitilligcai(Elsholtziasp.).In particular,UJUjiaandcaiaregoodforkneeandelbowjointpain,sowhile new'mothersarebathing,theyateencouragedtorubthemonthekneesand elbows. SteamBathMethod,-Herbalsteambathsareusuallytakentwoorthreetimes duringthemonthafterdelivery.Oneinformanttookherbalbathsonthethird, fifteenth, andthirtiethdaysgivingbirth,Anotherinformanttookherbal bathsontheseventhandlastdaysofthepostpartumperiod.Suitabletimesmust bechosenfortakingthesebaths.'Morningispreferredtoafternooniftheweather istoohottotakeasteambath,Inthiscase,awomanmaytakeabathbetween nineandtendclockinthemorning. OnMay17,1998,aninformantagedaroundfortywholivedinBanYang village,FangDistrict,ChiangMaiProvim,e,demonstratedhowtotakeanherbal steambath.Wangandherinformantwentintothefieldandcollectedsteambath herbs.ThefoHmll,'ing briefexplanationofhowanherbalsteambathisprepared andtakenbyYunnanesewomenisbasedontheinformationconectedonthat day. 1)First,aortriangle-shapedtentismadeusingpolesandpiecesof
doth.Thepiecesofclothshouldbethicktoprevent,'Vindentry, Thepoleframeisusually"':rappeddothtwoormoretimes.
2)Selectedplantswerewashedwithwatertoremoveinsectsandsoil,and
werethendividedintotwopal'f&-leavesandothers(Figure2).This visionwasmadebecausearebestusedasfreshaspossible,andare more easilyboiledthanpartsoftheplants. 3)Leaveswereboiledinasmallpanandtheotherplantsina
TABLEI.-Steambath
Scientificname
Acanlhopanaxaculeatum&"Cffi.
AgeratumconyzoidesL.
AndrographispaniculmaWall.ex
N€es
Bid.enspilosaL
Risclujiajarnnica8I.
BlumeabalsamiferaDC.
CIerodendrumfragrans
WHld. Clerodt'J'l(lrumpanlelliafurnL
ClerodendrumurtimeftlliumWalt
ComrndimJbenguiensisL
Crotalarj,}pallid.:l.Ait.
CU..'iDutare{lt'X1lRuxb.
Cymbopogi)t1llardusRencUe
CyperusiriaL.
EIshoItziasp.
Equisdunldebilr:Roxb.
Eupatoriu.modoratum1.
EuphorbiahetcrophyllaL.
Hed1.f{Jtisct.corowrriaCraib
ImpatiensbalsaminaL
lresineherbstiiHook.f. KalanchoepinnalaPers.
L.agenariasrcerariaStandI.
LantanacamaraL
Araliaceae
Asteraceae
Acanthact:'de
Asteraceae
13ischofiaceae
Asteraccal?
Verhcnaceoe
Vcrbcnaccac
Verbenaccac
Commelinaceae
Fabaceae
Cusculaceae
Poaceae
Cyperaceae
Lamiaceae
Equisetaceae
Asteraceae
Euphorbiaceae
Rubiaceae
B"llsarninacede
I\maranthaceae
Crassulaccae
Cucurbitaccac
Verhenaccac
Localname
'lUUjia xiongyincao,yUH nanmo,dwucao hngzitican faoUtIm yanggan11IUguo billgping.'Ie choumtwdan finxinmaodan hongftUli)dim zhujicjie daxianglin huangteng yinxiangcan huangdenXjia xiongcai biguanCflO ribencao qingduzicao pupucao zhijiahUll,jingfeng hua dingye,hongding dabusi huoIo xilonggtl ThaiJl{lme
plwkpaem saapraengsaapkaa fatlialaai puennoksai toem naatyai naangyaern nomsawan phumpheedaeng phakplaap hingmen khrueakhaokhanJ tilkhraihom ynarangkankhaao .ya"tholbang saapsue-a lfi,ayaong u}(Jngot thiandok phakpllaeo khwamtooi pen naamtao pl,akaokrong Part(s)used
plt,lvs,stm p1l Ivs pH lV5 lvs/stm Ivg Ivs pH Ivs,stm
(VB,stm pit lvs pH pit pit Ivs Ivs pIt pit Ivs lvs lV5 pIt Other edible stopsbleeding "hotnessinthe stomachf! "hOLJ1MSinthestomach" edible sore throat,"hotnessinthe stomach" heartbeatirregularity heartbeatirregularity urinarytrouble edible sorethroat,edible((ormak ingtea) fever stopsbleeding cort.<;tipatlon,"hotnessin thestomach" promotedelivery excess oftheheatinthe body,blisters bruises, bodypains(leg, etc.) tunicforbloodcirculation, delayofmenstruation ---------------------------. TABLE1(wntinued)
Scientificnam!:':LocalmuneThaiflameusedOther
slomachdcl1e,uterinetrouble livertrouble bruises, bl(A')dyexcrement injury,inthe legs andarms sorethroat diarrhea swellingofhands,faCt, headachE: "hotnessinthestomach" "hotness inthestomach" IV5,$lfm,fls
sim,lv$ Ivs Ivs pit Iv::; pH Iv::; pIt Ivs Ivs, stm Ivs Ivs pit lvs pit Ivs Iva,stm
pH uuniJan 11101Wi
famllg tlu:.r;gi,iumchung la/tung saplulIJtfkO/1 mil'i.tm'ngnok ma,J}amgkhruea dalWl'umgnoi somHum raang.:flUe! ,",enmayuraa Ijllasoortm
k?leekaiyaml !Jtlflpanyot mon phakzmen makucoo mr:mion haixiIIClUJ sanshu :mllnFUUcoo U1Udu cal kuqiJm pokmg !Ieyang laoTalzuillaCliO adawueao,IImeIe eM dacao manzi Poaccac
Astcraccac
Mimosaccl)c
Moraceae
Oxalidaceae
Euphorbiaceae
Caprifoliaccae
Plantaginaceae
Myrtaceae
Acanthaceae
Euphorbiaceae
Asteraceae
Solanaceae
Sol Asteraceae
Portulaceae
'I'hunbergiaceae Scrophulariaceae
No!e: Micrasteg'am;A,Camus
Mik:(miacordataob,
MimosapuiiicaL
MorusalbaL.
Oxalh;cvrniculataL.
Pecillartthustit'ltymaloides.Poit.
Vibumumi!lopil'!l1lumCraib
Vitex PlantagomajorL
Psidium.J/.IL.
RtlinactllIUlSU,fUSKurz
RicinuscomrmmisL.
l ~ u b e $ c e r l sMakino SOl'llrlieimnfgrumC.
$a!tmllmtl'ilobatumL L. {xmiculalumGaertn. lImrtfolitlL. Torcnia}oumierfLind.luum,
218WANGctal.VoLNo.2
FIGUREL--WomancollectingmedicinalplantsalongtheroadsideinChiangMai,aYun naneseviUageinFangdistrict.PhotographbyWangLiuIan. FIGURE.2..--Infcrmantswashingandselectingthepartsofplantsllsedforsteambaths. PhotographbyWangLiuIan.
pan,foraboutanhoof,untiltheNessence"oftheplantscameout.Eggs werealsoplacedintheboilingwater(Figure3).Theseweretobe eatenlaterbvmothers'NhHeinthesreambathtent. 4)Thehotandmedicinalplantswerepomedintoaandtaken
intothetentTwopiecesofboardwereplacedonthebasin,sothatthe newmothercouldsitoveritFigures4and5showtheappearanceofthe te-nlandawomanwhoissittinginsidethetent. 5)Atfirst,thewaterwastoohottouseforwashingthebody,butthevapor
from theherbswasaromatic.Whenthewaterwasenoughtotouch, freshleaveswereused towashthebodyfromthetopd01Alnward,exclud ingthehaironthehead.Smaltyoungleaveswereusedforwashingand rubbingthebody.Leavesofurnjil1(Aamthopana:xaculeatum)andxiangcai (Elsiroltziasp.,weretowashkneeandelbowjointsbecausetheyare consideredespeciallyeffectiveinpreventingpainintheseparts. 6)Whilesittlnginsidethetent,themotherdrankonce-boiledwater,asthe
heatinsidethetentmadethemthirsty.Theyalsoatetheeggsthatwere earlierboiledwiththeherbs.Theybelieveeggsboiledwithmedicinal plantscanstrengthenthebodyofthenewmother,H01l\'eVer,notallmoth \;lISeateggswhileinthesteambathtent. 7}Thebathendedwhenthewaterwasnolongerhot.Ingeneral,thebath
lastedaboutone tohvohours;andnotmorethantwohours. Coml'ilriso/1withNeighlJoJingEthnicGroU/18.--PromfieldsurveysinnorthernThai land, otheretlmicgroupssuchastheUsnandKarenalsotakeherbalsteambaths 219JOURNAl,Of.ETHNOBlOLOGY]'all/VVililet2003
220WANGetatVol.23,No,2
FIGURE3-Steambathherbsbeingsteamedwitheggsinapan.PhotographbyWang Liulan,
Fall/Winter2003JOURNALOFETHNOBIOLOGY221
FIGURE4,-Steambathtentcoveredbyofdoth.byLiulan.
FIGURE5.-Informantpreparingtotakeasteambathinsidethetent.PhotographbyWang Uulan.
r 222WANGetatVoLNo.2
TABLE2,-Steambath
Scientificname
AgemturncQnyzoidesL.
Buddleja(.lsiatlc,rLour.
Cler()aendrumserraturnMoon
CTerodendl'Ulfld.IJlIlosumHI.
CoMusspe:ciosusSmith
El;;;lw!tzillkticl1illensisPl:'ain
,;vforusmar:rouraMiq. SpiLmthesacmellaMUfr.
Paederind.JinearisHookf.
PhlogaamthuscurviflorusNees
Vitex Asteraceae
Buddlejaceae
Verbenaceae
Verbenaceae
Costaceal."
Lamiaceae
Moraceae
Asteraceae
Rubiaceae
Acanthaceae
Verbenacene
Localname
boomuceng daIizi amasaza pfrikolkl hanrnmaehi xitmgcai dasu tffujiao qiqUllzi izina ahI)10 Part(s)used
f,lvs,fls f,Iv",fls,8tm l',1vs,fIs r,t1s r,lvs,l1" plt Jvs f,lvs,t1s pit r,Iv",J1s Iv5,r Note:pIt...whaleplant,lvs
afterbirth.Bothofthesegroup&speaklanguagesoftheSino-Tibetanfamily.Lisu art:migrantsfromYunnanthroughMyanmar,andtheirentryintoThailandstart edatmost150yearsago,withthemosttet"'entmigrationtakingplaceafterv'vbrid WarII(Schliesinger2000).AlthoughtheoriginoftheKarenisnotdear,they cametoThailandfromMyanmarintheeighteenthcentury(E.EAnderson1993). Research
wasconductedforaboutaweekattheendofOctober/beginningof November,
1997,inlwoLisuvillageslocatedinPaidistrict,MaeHongSon.Prov
ince,atelevationsof960mand1200mabovesealevel,respectively,andina Karenvillage,alsoinPaidistrictat960mabovesealevel,Steambathplants used bym€mbersoftheset'\.\'OethnicgroupsarelistedinTables2and3, Lisuwhowereinterviewedsaidthatafterchildbirth,theytooconsiderevil windofroOstconcernduringone-monthpostpartumperiod,andcallitmihi.TIley believewindwill('orneintothebodythroughthenose,ear,ormouthafterbirth, andcauseheadaches,lossofenergy,anddizziness.Therefore,theyalsousesteam bathsafterbi.rth.,Thetakeherbalsteambathsontheseventhandthirtieth daysafterdelivery.Each.time,about10to15minutesisspentinsidethetentifu l'li)untilsweatcomesDutofbody.Steambathherbsarecalledrtacisitill!and takingasteambathisgoodfordearingeyes,stimulatingappetite,activating blood. circulation!andexpellinginsidethebody.Eating'foodwithwind' sucha..qpork,waterbuffaloandbeefisforbidden.Instead,vegetables ashiwo(SolamannigrumL.),a!ZOwandou(PisuEnSt1tivum),andelli(Elshoitzia kachinmsisPrain)areusedtoridthenewmother'sbodyofwind. Blackchickenandeggsareconsideredthemostimpodantfoodsforstft:1ngfu eningth.enewmotherandchild.TheyarecalledcefoodsbytheLisu.foods are similartoChinese'supplementing'foods.,andareusedtostrengthenmother TABLE3.-Steambathplantsused
Scientificname
ElephnrnopusscaVerL
EuodiatriphyllaIX.
Micrmnetumd.PUll(!SC'l'nsB1.
SchindL
Asteraceae
Rutaceae
Rutaceae
Fabaceae
Localname
tesiphokle te5ise5{1 Iesipaklo
te,;.1zohome Part(s)used
pH lvs,shn pit Ivs,stUl,fIs
andchild,activatebloodcirculation,andmaintainamother'smilksupply.Usually Lisuwomentomakeachickenwiththeleavesofxiang
cai(ElslwltziaPrain),thefruitcao(Amomumtsau-Iro),pepper,and salt. Itisworthnotingthatamong110ththeYunnaneseandUsu,ElshoItziasp.is calledl'iangcaiandisalsousedforcombating'wind'afterbirth.YetYunnanese useitforsteambathsandUsueatittoexpel'wind'insidethebody,Steambath plantssharedbytheYmmaneseandUsuincludeAgeratumCL1f1yzoidesL"Elsholtzia sp.,Clerodendrumsp.,andMorussp. ItappearsfrompresentfieldworkthattheKarenandtheYunrumeseshare nomedicinalplants.However,thismaybeduetothelackofbotanicalspedmt.'l1.s collectedintheKarenvillage.FurthercoUectionofKarenmedicinalplantsfor steambathsisneededtoimprovethiscomparativestudy. Basedonpreviouseth'10botanicalstudiesinThailand,thehillpeopleofLahu andAkhaandThaialsousesteambathsorasimilarpracticefor womenbirth.TheLahuboiltheIeavt;sandbarkofCinnamomumtamalaTh. Fries insteambathstothenewmotherresistanceandprotectionfromwind andheat(E.F.Anderson1993:142).TheAkhamixtogethertheleavesofBlunlen balsamiftra,Care,!part'omlRoxb.,ClerodendrumcolebrookitlnufItWalp.,andCrotonob IongiJOliusRoxb.andheatthem.Ane'wmothersitseverthisbathtohealherbody quicklyafterbirthfE.EAnderson1993:142).TheAkhaalsouscsteambathsfor reducingswelling(ErEAnderson1986a:51).Thailowlandersuseherbalsteam bathstoalleviaterespiratorycomplaints,skindiseasesjmusclestressandstrains, the commoncold,andotherailments(Chuakuletat1997),InThaifolkmedicine, steambathsarealsousedbywomenafterchildbirth.Women'willtakeamedicinal herbsteam bathafterbirthtoimprovethecomplexion,dearblemishesonthe face, andpreventlymph-relateddiseases,TheseplantsarecandnrmDC, AcarusclllarrtU..sL,Cymbopl1goncitratu5Stapf,CitrusOC.,Citrusmaxima Men,andIpomoeaaquaticaForsk(Rajadhon1965).Thereare23specieslistedas steambathherbsusedbyThaisinChuakuleta1.(1997). PreviousstudiesmentionBlumea[1aJsamijeraandClerodimdrumsp.ascommon lyusedbyAkha,Thai,andYunnanese(E.EAnderson1993jChuakuletaL1997) andCymbopogonRhinacfU1t1lusnasutusKurz,andR.icinuscommunisL.are sharedbyThaiandYunnanese(Chuakuleta1.1(97). EffiCtlCYofCommonSteamBathPltmts.-AsB.N.Anderson(1984:759)pointsout, anyfolkmedicinalpracticethatiswidespreadacrossdifftzrentculturesmighthave somebiologicaleffects;thatis,itmightactuallywork.Somestt!ambathplants thataresharedbydifferentethnicgroups(Table4)havebeenproventohave bioactive ingredients.Blumeubilisamiferaisanaromaticherb;itsleafisrecognized ascontaining cryptomerdiol(PongluxetaLltJS7:49),consideredtobetheactive principle thatisasmoothmusclerelaxantandbronchospasmreliever(Chuakul etaL1997:40),Thisplantistohavediuretic,tranquilizing,hypotensive, vasodiIating,andsympatholyticproperties(Pongluxeta1.1987:49).Yunnanese alsoconsid.erBfumea17alsal1iifemefficaciousincuring'hatnessinthestomach'(duzi re)thatderivesfromanexcessofheatinsidethebody,withsymptomssuchas sorethroat,headache,soreeyes,toothache,andurinarydisorder.Peopleexperi- Fall/Winter2003JOURNALOFETHNOBIOLOGY223
TABLE4.-Steambathplantscommonlyusedbythreeethnkgroups. __ _ ~ T T__ ~ ~ ~ ScientificnameYunnaneseLisu
224
AgeratumcollyMJides
Btumeaba/!,al1i;ife!"1<
Cleradendrumfra.Jml118
C/ercdendrum
Clerodendrumpanienlatum
Clerodendrumsermtlun
Clerodendrumurticaefolium
ClerOtfendrumd.velk)5um
Cymbopogollcitratus
Cymbopagonnardus
Elsfwttzinsp.
kacltinemis iVlorttsali'l1 Monlsmacroura
Rhinacanthusnasutus
RiciJill.sconl1mmis
Vitex •Chuakuleta1(1997). WANCetal.
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x Vol.23,No.2
Thai" x x x x x encethesesymptomsfrequently,soitisplantedaroundthehouseorkeptdried at home.Cymbopogonsp.,Cymbopogoncitratus..usedbytheThai,isalsoanaromatic herb withvadousconstituents,particularlyessentialoils(Pongluxetat1987:107) thatpossess antifungalandantibacterialproperties(Saralampetat1996:79). RhinaCilntlrnsnasutusisrecognizedashavingrhinacanthinandoxymethyllan thraquinone andotherbioactiveconstituents\vithantifungalproperties(Ponglux eta!.1987:227;seeSaralampetat1996:162). Theseresultsmayindicatethatplantsusedacrossethnicgroupsareeffective onbiologicalsystems.Theyareemployedandacceptedculturesthathavetheir m'lll1traditionalknowledgechildbirthhealth. CONCLUSION
ChildbirthisfundamentaltohlIDlansurvival.Thisstudyhasdocumented some ofthepreviouslyunstudiedfolkknowledgeoffoodandmedicinalplant useamongYunnaneseChineseinnorthernThailand.EarlierstudiesonChinese folkmedicineforchildbirthtendedtoemphasizethesystemofdiseasesin relationtohotandcoldtheory;however,Yunnanesepaymuchmoreattentionto evil'wind', whichaffectanewmotherbydiseasesafterbirth.For theYunnanes€, theherbalsteambathplaysanimportantroleinstrengthening resistance to\-'find-relatedailmentsbyactivatingbloodflowandreleasingblood stasisthroughsweatingcausedbythevapor.Alongwiththisherbaltherapy, eating'supplementing'foodandavoidingfoodwithwindalsocontributesto strengtheningresistancetosupplementingbloodaswellasvitality,allof whichhelpthe newmotherregainabalanceofhealthbirth. Etlmobotankaldataonfolkmedicineforchildbirthinthisregionhasnotyet beengatheredcomprehensively.Wehowever,thatthepracticeherbal ACKNO\'VLEDGMENTS
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