Benefits of Khmer traditional Medicines

Institute of Foreign Languages Writing Skills 202

Department of English 2013-2014

Final Draft

Benefits of Khmer traditional treatment

When you injure or sick, which remedy do you usually turn to? While the majority of people in Cambodia nowadays trusts modern medicine, some people still keep using Khmer traditional medicines to treat their diseases or wounds. With the small, black and ugly appearance of these medicines, people tend to overlook their curing potencies. Khmer traditional medicine is a form of naturopathy that consists of various roots, barks, and leaves of variety of trees as well as some minerals, other natural ingredients and animal parts. This traditional remedy has been practiced since Angkor era, and is still mostly being practiced in some rural areas of Cambodia recently. Due to its efficient healing, this traditional therapy is very beneficial to deal with many kind of diseases, to heal physical injuries and improve the health and beauty quality.

Phnom Penh Central Railway Station, Cambodia. Fran...

English: OCIC Tower (Overseas Cambodian Investment...

Exotic Khmer Architecture at the Royal Palace

Primarily, this primitive treatment is very effective in curing diseases. Since this treatment requires only natural plants or herbs which can be found locally, it is available for the patients in low cost but provides the same efficiency of curing as the modern medicine. For example, the Kinin medicine which is made from hopeaodorata tree (in Khmer called Duem Koki) is used to treat malaria, according to Dr, Ly Bunnarith, a well-known skilled practitioner of traditional medicine. Another example is with the treatment of diarrhoea; this disease is cured with Decoction medicine which is a mixture of bark of Terminalia nigrovenulosa Pierre (Combretaceae), bark of Tamarindus indica L. (Caesalpinioideae) and stem of Coscinum usitatum Pierre (Menispermaceae), according to 2nd symposium of professor CHENG Sun Kaing, faculty of Pharmacy, Phnom Penh, which is conducted on 6th -- 8th December 2010, Hanoi. The traditional medicines can save patient's...