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Grantee Arika Virapongse newly submitted thesis: Ethnomedicine and
Materia Medica used by Kui traditional healers in Northeast Thailand.
ABSTRACT
The Kui indigenous group is one of fifty non-Tai ethnic groups in Thailand
and they may be distinguished as the earliest residents of the southern
part of Northeast Thailand. The purpose of this study was to define the
role of traditional healers within the Kui ethnomedical system, and
examine their uses of materia medica for the treatment of health
conditions. Three hundred and eighty-eight Kui healers from Surin, Si Sa
Ket, and Ubon Ratchathani provinces were surveyed, and thirty healers
from six districts of these provinces were selected for in-depth study.
Research tools used to collect data included profile, sociodemographic,
treatment methods, interviews, free-lists, health condition logs,
observation, and specimen collection. The results of this study describe
and analyze the healers’ treatment system, 100 health conditions, 9 types
of preparation methods, 374 types of materia medica, and 14 socio-
demographic factors among the thirty Kui healers. These results signify
that the roles of healers within the traditional medical system are defined
by their uses of plants and treatable health conditions, patterns of materia
medica used are evident among healers, local natural resources of
healers affect the way that they use plants, and socio-demographic
characteristics of healers affect their materia medical knowledge.
Arika's Thesis
