Plucking medicinal herbs prior to Đoan Ngọ Festival
The role of herbal medicine in the life of the Vietnamese
In Vietnam today, there are 3850 species of plants that can be used as medicine, 309 of which are families of plants that grow in the nature. This herbal medicine, known locally as thuốc Nam (literally: Southerners’ medicine),is widely used among the general public as it helpsharmonize the yin and the yang, cold and heat, regain a state of balance for the body and heal a significant number of diseases. In the royal court of yore, as early as under the Trần Dynasty, herbal medicine was also used in medical carefor the kings and their officials. The Imperial Medical Office, which was specialized in providing treatment for the king, the mandarins and the royal army, had plans to accumulate and distribute medical supplies, and frequently held herb-picking trips in An Tử (Đông Triều).
Plucking medicinal herbs prior to Đoan Ngọ Festival
Plants to be used as tonics
To ease the harshness of summer and improve their health, the Vietnamese peopleuse medicinal herbs as drinks, believed to be good for the liver and kidney.The cooling properties of herbal tonics can help detoxicate the body and enhance the immune system. Species of herbs normally collected by the Vietnamese to prepare tonics include tea leaves, syzygiumnervorsum (vối), corn silk, chamber bitter, sugarleaf, etc. Tonics made from naturally sourced medicinal herbs taste nice and become popular drinks of many people who find them extremely to their likings. At the same time, they have high healing properties and have become a quotidian beverage and a cultural trait of the Vietnamese people.
Plucking medicinal herbs prior to Đoan Ngọ Festival
Medicinal herbscan help sterilize and keep insects at bay
For generations, the Vietnamese people have tried to get rid of these harmful insects through a number of cultural practices, found mostly in the Double-Fifth or Đoan ngọ Festival. One original case in point is the practice of hanging mugwort leaves or weave them into mascots that can scare away insectsbecause of their strong smell. When bitten or stung by worms or pests, people normally applymugwort poultices on the wound. Besides, in order to keep other pests like mosquitoes, ants, cockroaches, snakes, centipedes, etc. at bay, the Vietnamese people also use medicinal herbs that contain oil essence to clean the house. Examples include honey locusts, garlics, cinnamon, lemongrass, grapefruit skin, etc.The foregoing herbs can help clean the air,facilitate respiration, improve the immune system, and therefore are still used by the Vietnamese people today.
Plucking medicinal herbs prior to Đoan Ngọ Festival
The use of herbal medicine to heal ailments in Vietnam
Due to the country’s location in a tropical, monsoon region and a weather characterized by intense heat and high humidity, many Vietnamese people contract rheumatism and arthritis. Besides, there are certain types of seafood that, once consumed, can cause digestive problems and stomach upsets. Therefore, the Vietnamese people in the past learned how to resort to local herbal plants close to their everyday life for treatment of ailments. For example, scented leaves, false daisies are used for fever, pluchea, garlic chives, fish mints are used to cure cold; arthritis can be cured with piper lolots, mugworts, acoraceae; headache and stomachache can be eased with steamed mugworts while rashes can be healed with the application of starfruit leaves and Wedelia Chinensis, just to name a few. The experience and knowledge in using such herbal medication has been passed down among the Vietnamese people from one generation to another.