Issan Jungle Medicine

[nidge]

I know there have been loads of threads discussing jungle medicine but i don't remember reading of anyone actually trying it.

Today i drove out to the middle of no where for a bike ride. It was somewhere i had never been before and the terrain was difficult. Cutting a long story short i crashed after attempting a 3' drop off without enough speed. I called my wife when i had got back to the car and driven far enough to get a mobile signal. I expected an ear chewing but instead she was a little worried and said she would start burning something for when i got back home.

When i arrived home her dad had collected a big leaf, (about 4' long and quite fleshy), and was heating it over a gas flame. After i washed my leg including the 2 egg sized lumps i was given this leaf, (in 2 pieces), to press against the injured bits. It was bl00dy hot at first but soon became quite comfortable. After 30 minutes or so the swelling had gone right down and the pain was more of an ache. Now it is 4 hours later and the swelling and pain are still minimal although i have the beginnings of a wonderful bruise.

I always laughed at Issan medicine but today made me closer to conversion. I'll try hot leaves again for sure.

Nidge.

[CbrLad]

I know there have been loads of threads discussing jungle medicine but i don't remember reading of anyone actually trying it.

Today i drove out to the middle of no where for a bike ride. It was somewhere i had never been before and the terrain was difficult. Cutting a long story short i crashed after attempting a 3' drop off without enough speed. I called my wife when i had got back to the car and driven far enough to get a mobile signal. I expected an ear chewing but instead she was a little worried and said she would start burning something for when i got back home.

When i arrived home her dad had collected a big leaf, (about 4' long and quite fleshy), and was heating it over a gas flame. After i washed my leg including the 2 egg sized lumps i was given this leaf, (in 2 pieces), to press against the injured bits. It was bl00dy hot at first but soon became quite comfortable. After 30 minutes or so the swelling had gone right down and the pain was more of an ache. Now it is 4 hours later and the swelling and pain are still minimal although i have the beginnings of a wonderful bruise.

I always laughed at Issan medicine but today made me closer to conversion. I'll try hot leaves again for sure.

Nidge.

Well lots of "native" or as we call it in Aus bush medicine works a treat. These people aren't silly for years they would have been doing the same thing and know what works. In fact a lot of western medicines are based on bush medicine, the main difference is we try and make a chemical equivalent so we can mass produce them.

[Bicko]

A couple of weeks ago, in the evening, my wife and i were having drinks with some friends on the front lawn. My dog was out the back barking her head off. I went out to investigate and she a cobra snake bailed up. I managed to get her out of the way and the snake took off but unfortunately not before the cobra had projected venom into her right eye. They can spit venom 2 or 3 metres and always go for the eyes. The elderly uncle who was visiting us, immediately chopped up some ginger root, chewed it up and spat it into her eye. He did it again a couple of hours later.

Next morning I took her to the vet in town and he confirmed that that treatment had saved her eye. if that had not been done she would have been permanently blind in that eye. He gave us some eye drops and a couple of tablets and now she is as good as gold again.

[nidge]

I forgot to add...

My wife told me the reason for my crash. I thought it was the lack of speed to clear the drop, however it was because i was riding in a new area and i did not pray, explaining i was riding only to have some fun and asking for protection! Looks like i'll have to tryt that tomorrow, i don't want to crash again.

[tatom]

Bicko,

You may be right but I suspect what you say is ginger root is really Kha, I think the English word is Galanga. My do has gone at it several times with cobras and the wife always uses Kha. she does it 2-3 times a day for 3 days. Dog is still good as new!

[dee123]

....hi nidge, it really is amazing how the Issan folks use natural remedies my wife as a poorer folk did never have the finances to pay for western medicine like many up in Issaan,probably your wife is the same. from childbirth to serious ilness it was there only answer,.....it makes you think how lucky we are,...

[Bicko]

Bicko,

You may be right but I suspect what you say is ginger root is really Kha, I think the English word is Galanga. My do has gone at it several times with cobras and the wife always uses Kha. she does it 2-3 times a day for 3 days. Dog is still good as new!

OK thanks but I am not sure what you mean when you say I may be right. My wife tells me that ginger root, kha and galanga are all same same.

[bina]

not

(they are all rhizomes)

ginger = khing

galanagal=khaa with specifically different medical properties

fingerroot = khrachai

ginger is good for nausea and sore throats and stuff...

as is kha as is khrachai which is also similar in chemical make up

they all three cause blood to flow better (topically) so on bruises it causes the blood to flow and not become a big hematoma....

[Bicko]

not

(they are all rhizomes)

ginger = khing

galanagal=khaa with specifically different medical properties

fingerroot = khrachai

ginger is good for nausea and sore throats and stuff...

as is kha as is khrachai which is also similar in chemical make up

they all three cause blood to flow better (topically) so on bruises it causes the blood to flow and not become a big hematoma....

Mate if you really want to get down to some detail then by all means let's do so . I have a degree in Horticulture and and I am very aware of the Family, Genus , species and sub species of the multitude of rhizomatous Zingiberaceae, two of which we are talking about here. However I chose not to do that because it is not the purpose of this topic.

My inital posting was the story of how my wifes elderly uncle dealt with Cobra venom in my dogs eye- he use ginger and saliva.

[bina]

gee bicko that was a rude answer....

1. i'm not a 'mate'

2. all the better if u are a horticulturist , then u can add your knowlege to what can be an interesting discussion...

since my husband talks alot about remedies that his hunter father uses (or used to before the jungle was 'used up'... )

and i am always interested in the different 'remedies' for each locale.

here we have the beduin remedies etc....

well, ill just go off and eat some belladonna then....

bina

israel

[Bicko]

gee bicko that was a rude answer....

1. i'm not a 'mate'

2. all the better if u are a horticulturist , then u can add your knowlege to what can be an interesting discussion...

since my husband talks alot about remedies that his hunter father uses (or used to before the jungle was 'used up'... )

and i am always interested in the different 'remedies' for each locale.

here we have the beduin remedies etc....

well, ill just go off and eat some belladonna then....

bina

israel

Bina i do apologise. It was not intended to be rude but simply factual. My problem was that you started your post with the word "Not" when in fact my information was correct and simply referred to a local traditional medicine which was the reason for the post.

Again my apologies. I was not aware that your were a lady but in my country we do refer to men and ladies as "mate" . It is a form of greeting and it certainly is not a derogatory greeting.

As a humanitarian aid worker i have worked in many underprivileged countries for many years and i know a great deal about "Bush" medicine from the middle east, the Pacific countries, Asia, SE Asia and Aboriginal Australia.

[phibunmike]

I know there have been loads of threads discussing jungle medicine but i don't remember reading of anyone actually trying it.

Today i drove out to the middle of no where for a bike ride. It was somewhere i had never been before and the terrain was difficult. Cutting a long story short i crashed after attempting a 3' drop off without enough speed. I called my wife when i had got back to the car and driven far enough to get a mobile signal. I expected an ear chewing but instead she was a little worried and said she would start burning something for when i got back home.

When i arrived home her dad had collected a big leaf, (about 4' long and quite fleshy), and was heating it over a gas flame. After i washed my leg including the 2 egg sized lumps i was given this leaf, (in 2 pieces), to press against the injured bits. It was bl00dy hot at first but soon became quite comfortable. After 30 minutes or so the swelling had gone right down and the pain was more of an ache. Now it is 4 hours later and the swelling and pain are still minimal although i have the beginnings of a wonderful bruise.

I always laughed at Issan medicine but today made me closer to conversion. I'll try hot leaves again for sure.

Nidge.

Sounds like possibly you had Aloe Vera, which certainly works well on open wounds and sores.

Cheers,

Mike

[nidge]

Aloe Vera was my first guess. But it was something else. I will take a photo next time i am in the village and hopefully i will be able to take a cutting and start my own home grown first aid kit.