THAILAND: THE MIND, THE BODY AND THE HERBS

Thailand is the place of herbs. Thai kitchen alone is known for an impressive amount of herbal ingredients, but the use of herbs extends far beyond spices for food. Herbs add flavor, but they also bestow a splendid array of health benefits, and they can be just as effective when applied externally as they are when taken internally. From lunch to healing to massage, herbs and their powerful and extensive effects are as common in Thailand as air itself.

THAI HERBS

The most basic use for herbs is in the kitchen, and a long list of herbs and plants forms the Thai chef's commodity of constituents. The ten examples below are only a small portion of this list.

1) Galangal (Kha or Alpinia): Evolving with age from a lemon-like flavoring to a taste that somehow reminds pepper, galangal is a kinsman of ginger. In its early growth phases, you can find it in soups, while adulthood makes it more practical for curry.

2) Finger root (Krachai or Boesenbergia Rotunda): It is known also as "lesser galangal," finger root shares some of the properties of the more mature galangal plant, mixing in an indicator of ginger as well. Fish and curries are dishes that are best suited for its application

3) Lemongrass (Takrai or Cymbopogon Schoenanthus): Its name is a reasonably on target account of the herb itself, in both its grass-like feature, lemony taste and smell. Curry pastes and soups often include it as a constituent.

4) Ginger (khing or Zingiber Officinale): Thai kitchen has many utilizations for the spicy and sweet tastes of ginger, adding it not only to desserts, but also to marinades and drinks.

5) Lotus root (raug bua): Lotus root grows undersea. With a taste that resembles cocoanut, it can be served on its own as a vegetable or be served as an ingredient in desserts.

6) Bay leaves (bai krawan or Laurus Nobilis): This herb, though interconnected to the bay leaf of the West, is not alike. Thai chefs use it to supplement their soups and even turn it into tea.

7) Cardamom (look Krawan): Cardamom is a well-worked ingredient of Thai kitchen, finding its way into dishes both spicy and sweet with its vigorous but comforting taste.

8) Coriander (phak chi or Coriandrum Sativum): Also known as "cilantro," coriander has a spot in Thai kitchen from its root to the seed. Thai curries benefit from the seeds, leaves, and roots, while marinades integrate both roots and stems.

9) Mint (saranae or Lamiaceae): Mint is added to teas and salads, especially when it is fresh.

10) Turmeric (khamin or Curcuma Longa): A common main ingredient of curry, turmeric often colors Thai dishes in yellow color. Meat marinades include it as an ingredient often.

THAI FOOD, HEALTH AND HERBS

Thai food is favorably affecting the well-being and health of ordinary people. Being so deeply composed of herbal elements, it is fundamentally a kitchen of natural medicines. Each and every herb has its effect and properties, and in some instances, several operate in synergy and create startling results.

Thai herbal constituents act on the numerous systems of the body to benefit health, prevent diseases, and relieve symptoms. For an illustration, ginger, galangal and lemongrass are all beneficial to the gastrointestinal tract, relieve pain, vomiting, flatulence, and indigestion. Likewise, bay leaves and taro root together assist with blood sugar problems, while cardamom and sweet basil assist with the cardiovascular system.

Some plants and herbs, like bean sprouts and lotus roots, are simply nutrition sources; teeming with magnesium, potassium and calcium, they also hold a number of extra minerals and vitamins. In a similar manner, the iron in cardamom assists as a powerful treatment for anemia and similar iron deficiencies, and cardamom, together with sweet basil, also contains vitamin C.

Sweet basil is anti-bacterial. Turmeric is an anti-inflammatory. Coriander and Lemongrass assist in combating fungus, and bay leaves and turmeric contain anti-oxidants. It appears that the list of the benefits of Thai herbs is infinite. If there is a certain issue, there is certainly a herb to cure, alleviate or prevent it.

One of the most promising results of the Thai herbal kitchen is the soup Tom Yum Gung. It is full of galangal, lemongrass, and coriander, its flavor is so great as to make it shine in the Thai kitchen. Besides being a treat for the taste buds, Tom Yum Gung has demonstrated, with science to stand behind it, to be a very effective treatment and preventative agent for cancer. Actually, its effectiveness is so high that the soup is scientifically studied for the sake of identifying and making independently available the secret of its properties.

HERBS AS AN EXTERNAL AGENT

Cuisine is not the only method Thai culture makes use of the powers of herbs. There is an abundant number of external methods that enable any individual to utilize their benefits, whether he or she eats Thai food or not.

Lemongrass, as an illustration for this concept, is an outstanding remedy for dandruff and for growing hair when the fluid of the stems is applied to the scalp. In a similar manner, rashes receive treatment from a turmeric based paste.

Aromatherapy is one of the most widely spread ways to use Thai herbs. The varying aromas of the herbs have equally inconstant properties. As an illustration, mint is good for stimulation and refreshment, while cardamom can alleviate depression. Lemongrass, on the other hand, reduces stress and alleviates headaches.

Herbal inhalers are not at all a rare occurrence. Depending on the herb, people can have a treatment for anxiety and stress, congestion, colds, headaches, and even asthma. A common practice is the inhalation of lavender oil, which has beneficial effects on heart rate and blood pressure.

This aromatherapy serves a vital role in steam baths. The Thai theory regarding steam baths is that the steam mixes with the essences of the heated herbs which were used, and then this steam, while opening the pores and freeing toxins, will transfer the essences to the skin for a later absorption. The specific kinds of herbs can vary, but the most common ones include galangal, turmeric, lemongrass, ginger and basil.

THAI MASSAGE

Thai traditional massage, also known as Nuad Boran, integrates herbs as an important part of the massage practice. This type of massage is different from Western massage in many ways, not least among them being the intricacy of the massage on its own. Reflexology, or the application of pressure to the feet and hands to affect the body in a positive way, and acupressure, or therapeutically pushing on different spots of the body, this is joined with yoga to provide an in-depth, comprehensive, full-body experience.

Besides fixing the client's body to form yoga postures, the practitioner slaps pulls, and pushes to attempt to open up what are known as Sen Sib lines, or energy channels, and by that relieving the negative physical emotions which lead to diseased states. Freely flowing energy and balance are the main aims, and the physical effects of realizing these goals include, cardiovascular benefits, relief from discomfort and inhibition of future diseases.

Addition layer of treatment is introduced with the use of herbal compresses. The practitioner applies steamed herbs tied in a muslin sack to the body of the client. Thus, the herbs transfer those essential oils, which were released by the heat to any spots on the body where there is discomfort or acute pain.

Nuad Boran seeks to improve the spiritual as well as the physical makeover of the practitioner. With mindfulness meditation, which is achieved by focusing on your breathing, as well as love and compassion between the practitioner and the client, Thai massage uplifts the experience from a purely body experience to one which improves the balance between the heart and the mind. Thai massage is therefore a holistic treatment method which can be useful to all parties.

The herbs of Thailand are more than food. They are a way to achieve well-being and health. Whether they are part of the Thai kitchen or part of a massage technique, they serve as a remedy, sometimes therapeutic, but primarily preventative. Acting on the body as well as on the mind, they please the taste, normalize the body functions, and do all they can to form a peaceful happy and a healthy person.