Nephyr Jacobsen is the founder and director of The Naga Center, School of Traditional Thai Massage and Medicine in Portland Oregon. She has been traveling to Thailand regularly since 1998 to research traditional Thai healing arts including herbalism and bodywork therapies. Dedicated to the study and practice of truly authentic traditional medicine traditions. See more information at www.nagacenter.org. Dr. C. Pierce Salguero has a Ph.D. in the History of Medicine from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and is a researcher of Asian medical traditions specializing in Buddhist-influenced medical traditions. Dr. Salguero is a college professor in the Philadelphia area, where he teaches courses in Asian history, religion, philosophy, and medicine. A prominent proponent of Traditional Thai Massage & Medicine in the West, he also teaches advanced courses on the subject. See more information at www.piercesalguero.com.

Texte du rabat

Thai herbs are part of a vibrant culture of healing that has been practiced and preserved over the centuries in traditional medicine schools, Buddhist monasteries, and village homes all over Thailand. Many quite ancient herbal traditions continue to be practiced throughout Thailand to this day, and some of these have now been recognized by the Ministry of Public Health as an important facet of the country’s national healthcare system. This revised and updated edition provides an overview of traditional Thai medicine--including both the theory and the practical application of Thai cuisine, bodywork, and herbal medicine. Of interest to herbalist, massage therapists, and practitioners of other alternative healthcare systems, the book introduces the basic principles of Thai herbal healing in simple and clear terms, and it includes a detailed compendium of individual herbs. Best of all, this book is fun, offering easy recipes for home remedies, healthcare products, and cuisine that will make the world of Thai tradition come alive in your home.

Résumé
This revised and updated edition provides new information on tastes, elements, and Thai anatomy, as well as many new recipes, herbal medicine formulas, and an updated herbal compendium.

Échantillon de lecture
Avoiding Toxins
In our opinion, Jivaka’s motto that everything is medicine should be reinterpreted in modern times. Certain man-made foods that are available today are so toxic to the system that we would argue they don’t have enough redeeming nutritional or medicinal qualities to offset the dangers of eating them. Herbalists, natural healers, and traditional nutritionists the world over have warned that the following modern foods and additives should be on everyone’s list of items to avoid:
Highly rfined sugars
The tendency in Western health communities to vilify all sugars does not fit with TTM theory. Natural unprocessed sugars are considered extremely useful medicines for hydration, and honey is used in countless medicines for a variety of purposes. This said, sugar intake should not be excessive, and highly refined sugars should always be avoided. The worst culprits include white crystalized sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, which are poisons to the body, overtax the metabolic system, and can lead to diabetes and liver or kidney problems. Use honey, grade B maple syrup, raw sugar, stevia, jaggery, or palm sugar as a substitute.
Bleached white flour
This over-processed food is extremely common in modern Western cuisine. Bleached flour not only can contain high levels of toxins but it has been stripped of almost all of its nutritional value (which then is added back in to make “enriched flour). White flour breaks down rapidly into sugar in the digestive system, and leads to the same conditions as excess sugar consump- tion. Furthermore, white flour is exceedingly difficult for the digestive tract to handle, leading to sluggish digestion, and depletion of the Wind and Fire Elements. Use unbleached white or whole wheat flour instead.
Milk
Milk is another case of an over-processed food. Much of the nutritional value in raw milk is neu- tralized by the pasteurization and homogenization process, and then has to be added back in after processing. The vitamin D touted by the dairy industry is usually an additive, and can just as easily be ingested through other foods or supplements. The dairy industry is also a leading user of hor- mones and antibiotics, which many health advocates believe can enter the human system and cause long-term damage to the endocrine and immune systems. Raw or pasteurized cream-top milk from grassfed cows is largely considered a better nutritional choice, although there are some concerns with its safety and local laws vary. You can also use kefir or yogurt, goat milk, or dairy substitutes such as homemade almond or rice milk.
Hydrogenated Oil
With a chemical composition close to plastic, hydrogenated oils are some of the most dangerous and non-nutritive substances in our foods. Hydrogenation is usually done for consistency or tex- ture, as food companies believe it makes the food appear less greasy than whole oil. The process renders beneficial oils useless by the body, and hydrogenated oils are immediately stored as fat.
Hydrogenated oils also lead to heart and circulatory disease. Look for hydrogenation-free products, as these are widely available.
Artificial Colors, Flavors, Preservatives, and Other Additives
The typical Western consumer eats piles of chemical food additives in every meal. These unnatural ingredients are both unhealthy and unnecessary. Read the nutritional labels on your food purchas- es, and look for alternative, 100 percent natural foods. Remember that in TTM, everything you put into your mouth has a transformative effect on your body and mind. It is therefore essential that you eat mindfully, trying to maximize the natural, healthy ingredients in your diet and minimize the artificial additives.
When examining the typical American diet, you may notice that many of us eat items from the above list in every meal. In fact, some “American classics”—such as a hamburger, fries, and Coke from a fast-food chain, or Froot Loops and milk for breakfast—are almost totally made up of these items. Individuals should try to limit the amount of junk food intake, especially the very young and the very old, who lack the strength to deal with these toxins. According to the Thai theories of the Elements and Tastes, overeating these foods can result in serious disorders. Most of the above items are Sweet foods, which deplete the Wind Element, leading to depletion of digestion, sexuality, and mobility, and increasing the effects of aging. Because of their refined processing, these foods affect the body much more strongly than natural foods, which is what you should use if you are looking for the Sweet Flavor.
Another consideration that we might keep in mind, although Jivaka did not mention it and it is more of a modern concern, is the long-term global effects of our dietary choices for the sustainability and health of our planetary environment. For example, while they are not the health hazards that some of the foods above are, items such as palm oil, musk, shark’s fin, and so forth are directly related to environmental destruction and the endangerment of wild animals. We believe that foods that are environmentally unsustainable should be avoided as much as possible. This is not only a moral but also a health issue, as personal health becomes ever more difficult to maintain on a damaged planet.
There has been considerable controvery over the safety and ethics of genetically modified foods lately, which is an issue that deserves special mention. While GMOs are commonly sold in the United States, they are restricted in other co…