Our Tradition

The Lanna and Thai Traditional Medicine (LTTM) systems have been developed and passed through generation after generation of practitioners for many centuries. Through the lineage—which can be traced back to Haribhunchaya, the Mon kingdom of Lamphun that was subsumed by the Lanna kingdom¹—a body of knowledge has been formed based in both oral and textual traditions.

Until 1884, the Lanna kingdom existed as a state separate from the Siamese kingdom.² Lanna provinces include Lamphun, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lampang, Mae Hong Son and Nan in the North of Thailand and previously included parts of modern day Myanmar. Because of this long-standing autonomy, Lanna medicine is perhaps the oldest and best preserved living medical system of Thailand.

Lanna medical texts, written in Lanna script, or Tua Mueang, date back to at least the 13th century, but are likely even older. Tua Mueang was used to transcribe Buddhist Pali scriptures into Kham Mueang, the language of the Lanna people.³

The Thai tradition of medicine descended from the Lanna system and developed with influence from other medical traditions. The underlying world view and the majority of the theory of Lanna and Thai Traditional Medicine are based in Buddhadhamma. The unique aspect of Lanna and Thai Traditional Medicine is founded in their indigenous understanding of the plants, land, animals and spirit world. Both systems are based on the approach that the elements, the Khwan and the consciousness are interdependent. The seen and the unseen, the magical and the mundane; all is integrated into daily life and treatments in these systems address all of these aspects at once.

There are many therapies found in both Lanna and Thai Traditional Medicine, including: natural medicine, nutrition and diet, physical therapies, rituals for healing, incantations, meditation, Reusi Dat Ton, astrology, palmistry, divination and Buddhadhamma, among others.

As Lanna Traditional Medicine has not been as influenced by modern medicine, it has retained many of its more esoteric and unconventional therapies, such as Tok Sen, Chet Haek, scraping, cupping and Ao Maan. These therapies are preserved primarily in the Lanna tradition.

As taught by Ajahn Prasaht Thetyaem and others in the lineage, Thai traditional medical knowledge is based in five roots:

  1. Medical science

  2. Manual science

  3. Oracular science

  4. Magical science

  5. Buddha science

From these five roots grow the trunk of knowledge that is Thai Traditional Medicine. As a practitioner develops, they can choose to focus on a given branch of Thai medicine, such as midwifery or bone-setting.

Currently, the Ministry of Public Health and the Licensure Board lists four official branches of study in Thai Traditional Medicine: 

  1. Traditional Medicine Doctor

  2. Traditional Medicine Pharmacist

  3. Traditional Medicine Midwife

  4. Traditional Medicine Massage Therapist

While practitioners of both Lanna and Thai Traditional Medicine share a basic foundation of knowledge, within the Lanna tradition, there are practitioners specializing in one area of practice or in select therapies.

The word หมอเมือง (maw meuang) can be applied to various types of practitioners. It can be used when referring to specialists in the following fields:

  • หมอทำยาสมุนไพร Maker of herbal medicine / Herbal Specialist

  • หมอทำเทียนยันต์ต่างๆ Candle "Magic" Specialist

  • หมอทำขวัญเรียกขวัญ Khwan and Khwan Retrieval Specialist

  • หมอทำพิธีส่งเคราะห์สตวงต่างๆ Specialist of Sending off Ill Omens and Misfortune

  • หมอทำน้ำมนต์เสดาะเคราะห์ Specialist who makes Incantation Water to Remove Ill Omens and Misfortune

  • หมอเจ็ด แหก เป่าพิษไพยต่างๆ Wiping, Scraping and Blowing Incantations Specialist

  • หมอดูดวงชะต๋าราศรี Divination and Astrology Specialist

  • หมอย่ำขาง Yam Khaang Specialist

  • หมอนวด Massage Specialist

  • หมอทำพิธีกรรมต่างๆ Ritual Specialist

And various other practitioners.

Sources: 1 - Asean Affairs; 2,3 - Fifty Viss.