On the occasion of the Duan Ngo Festival, Thai people go to the forest to collect medicinal herbs to cure diseases.

People go to the forest to collect medicinal herbs on the occasion of the Duanwu Festival. Photo: Dao Tho

Tien Ky Commune, Tan Ky District (Nghe An) is home to a large number of Thai ethnic people. Like other localities, the Thai people here celebrate the Doan Ngo Festival very enthusiastically. The food trays are carefully arranged for offerings. Depending on each clan, the dishes may be slightly different, but fish is still the main dish on the tray. The Thai people in Tien Ky believe that, in such hot and dry weather, offering fish to heaven, earth, and ancestors will be blessed with favorable rain and wind so that all things will flourish.

A medicinal plant that people pick in the forest. Photo: Dao Tho

In the house of Mrs. Vi Thi Niem in Hamlet 1 (Tien Ky Commune), at exactly 10:00 a.m. on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, siblings and children wished each other all the best. Mrs. Niem urged her children and grandchildren to finish their meal before 12:00 noon, because this was the most important moment of the Doan Ngo Festival.

She explained: “For the Thai people here, at 12 noon, every household must stop all activities to go to the forest to collect medicinal herbs to dry and drink. Only at that time will the medicinal herbs take full effect and all the toxins in the plants will be eliminated. Our ancestors passed it down from generation to generation, so our descendants still follow it.”

Herbs growing in low forests. Photo: Dao Tho

Mrs. Niem said that in the past, when she was a child, every noon on the 5th of May, she followed the women and mothers in the village to the low forest to pick medicinal plants. However, the young generation is no longer interested in this custom. Many people do not even know the name of a plant to pick it for use. According to her, the plants picked at that time, when dried and boiled and drunk instead of water, can cure pain and fatigue caused by labor or digestive diseases and calm the nerves.

Indeed, at exactly 12 noon, Mrs. Niem and the other elders in the village gathered at the pre-arranged location and started heading towards the low forest ahead. The sun was scorching hot, but everyone was very excited. Some carried knives, others carried baskets, and their voices and laughter echoed throughout the village.

“These medicinal plants only grow in lowland forests, not in dense and highland forests. In the past, our elders passed on to each other that at noon on May 5, all plants in the forest were not poisonous, including aconite (!!!). Our elders said that to reassure their children and grandchildren, but up to now, no one has ever dared to pick plants of unknown origin and effects to make medicine,” an elderly woman shared with us.

The medicine is chopped and dried. Photo: Dao Tho

Arriving at the forest, everyone gathered together to chop handfuls of medicinal leaves and put them in the pot. We only knew the familiar looking plants, but there were many others that we didn’t know, so we had to ask the mothers to explain. The “cầu thần” and “tăng đá” plants that Mrs. Niệm mentioned all had good effects in helping the body stay healthy, eat well, and sleep well. In total, there were 50-60 types of plants that were chopped and filled the pot. The medicinal herb picking session only lasted about 2 hours, because this was the moment that determined the quality of the medicinal plants.

The plants are brought back and chopped into 5-10 cm pieces, then dried to save for drinking during the year. Mrs. Vi Thi Niem still has some leftover herbs from last year, she takes them out to wash and boil them to serve to guests. The leaf water is pinkish red like dry tea, slightly astringent but very fragrant. Mrs. Niem said: In the years when she harvested a lot, she also sent them to other places for her children and grandchildren to drink. This is a precious gift from the homeland, the mountains and forests bestowed upon humans, so it must be cherished.

The boiled medicine is red, slightly astringent but very fragrant. Photo: Dao Tho

What we saw and heard really surprised us. Although the effects of the medicine have not been verified, according to what the locals said, so far no one has suffered any health effects from taking this forest medicine./.