Research helps revive four herbal medications used during King Narai’s reign

Assoc Prof Roj Khun-anek, deputy rector of Thammasat and former director of the institute, said the studies initiated by him under the “King Narai’s herbal recipes” project found that four of them were useful for providing treatment.

King Narai the Great was the 27th king of the ancient capital of Ayutthaya.

Roj said he initiated the project because the herbal medicines used some 300 years ago during the King Narai period might have been misunderstood by some traditional medicine practitioners because they have not been used for a long time.

Roj said he started a systematic research on the herbal cures in 2009. His project has interviewed many herbalists and the information has been used to reconstruct the four herbal medications.

Roj said the institute has also published a book that details the ingredients of the four herbal medicines to sell to interested herbalists or general people.

Assoc Prof Rungrawi Temsiririrkkul, of Thammsat’s Faculty of Pharmacy, said the four herbal medications are:

  Ya Tha Phra Sen — a herbal ointment for rubbing painful joints, knees and ankles or swollen veins.

 Phra Angkob Phra Sen Tueng Hai Yon — a herbal cloth ball used to compress on painful nerve vessels.

 Nam Mun Mahajak — an oil used for reducing muscle pains and for healing wounds.

 Ya Hom Dun — an aromatic herbal powder that is used to treat fever, excessive thirst, headache, muscle pain and joint pain, which are symptoms of influenza.

Asst Prof Dr Saowathan Phoklud, director of the institute, said the institute started in 1971 as the Thai Khadi Project for carrying out research into Thai society with the purpose of writing new textbooks. The project was upgraded in 1975 to an institute, which has the same status as a faculty.