Abstract
The objective of this qualitative research was to investigate and compile knowledge of Thai traditional
medicine for postpartum care in Amnat Charoen, a province in the northeastern part of Thailand.
Data collection was done through individual and group interviews of folk doctors, including herb doctors,
midwives, shamans, traditional massage therapists (n=43) and healthcare professionals from all hospitals
(n=7), along with on-site observations. The study was undertaken between May 2009 and April 2010.
It was evident that inherited traditional medicine/folk medicine regarding midwifery and postpartum
care has long been practiced in the area of Amnat Charoen up to the present. The knowledge and
wisdom in this particular area have passed from generation to generation, i.e. from ancestors to younger
family members, via story telling, traditional practice, and a mentor system. In the past, labor in childbhirth
was typically assisted by a traditional midwife. Several postpartum care regimens would then be employed
after childbirth, e.g. yu-gum or yu-fai (body warming using heat/fire), herbal bathing, along with
many religious rites. Various medicinal plants, either of single or multiple formulas, have been used for
mothers for the purposes of body cleansing, evacuation of amniotic fluid from the uterus, and stimulation
of lactation. In addition, some plants are used as blood tonics or laxatives for nursing mothers. A number
of herbs have already been investigated for their chemical constituents and related pharmacologic
actions; however, some have not yet been studied, thus their activities remain unknown or questionable.
It was found that folk medicine/traditional medicine has been integrated harmoniously with modern
medicine in the current practice of postpartum care in government hospitals in Amnat Charoen. It was
also quite apparent that the government policy regarding Thai traditional medicine has played a major
role in expanding both the number and quality of traditional health services available at every level of
health care.
