The medicine is at home

"The medicine is at home" are the words of Ms. Hang Thi Xa, one of the hosts of the residency program, said to other people when mentioning medicinal herbs. The sentence is connected to the meaning of the spirituality and availability of the herbs. Ms. Xa often picks up herbs in the early morning before going to the fields, or in late afternoon when going back home. The herbs in her home garden were first planted by her parents and her ancestors many years ago.

Hang Thi Xa: “When I was ten-years-old, I often followed my mother picking medicinal herbs for other people; thus, those herbs became familiar to me. I inherited knowledge about herbs, knowledge which has been transmitted through generations; from my grandmother to my mother. When someone in my family is sick, I treat them using medicinal herbs from my home garden. We only go to the hospital if we don’t recover after using herbs. I’ve made a poultice for my kids when they broke their arms, and I also share herbal remedies for broken bones, stomach aches or uterine prolapse for people in my village.”

Mr. Giang A Cua in Ta Phin, Sa Pa, one of the hosts of the residency and co-authoring program.

Mr. Ma A Nu in Cat Sa 4, Sa Pa, a host of the program and co-author of this collection.

“I know about medicinal herbs because my mother taught me when I was a child. She taught me some popular herbal remedies for fever, cough, and headaches. The herbs can be found in a garden or the fields. Not only my mother, but also my neighbors, share their remedies with me. They do not hide any of their herbal knowledge except for some complicated remedies that are not widely known to avoid misapplication or the loss of its spirituality. The youth today use less herbs than the older generation because living conditions have changed a lot and herbs do not have an immediate effect and it also takes more effort to collect them.”

This plant is used to treat urinary problems.