Knowledge of folklore healer therapy in Phichit province: Case study Mr. Manas Suthikas

Abstract

The purpose of the study about body of knowledge, guidelines, and principles of symptomatic treatment of a folk healer in Phichit province, a case study of Mr. Manas Suthikas, is to study body of knowledge, guidelines and principles of symptomatic treatment of a folk healer in an area of Phichit province. The data collections of this research were from interview form, observation, questionnaire response, still image, and motion picture recording. The folk healer who was registered as practitioners in the field of Thai traditional medicine and was the outstanding national healer in 2019.Therefore, the research team was interested about his body of knowledge. The result found that Mr. Manas Suthikas had brought the knowledge from his ancestors to use in taking care of his own health and people in the community by inheriting it from his father, Mr. Chuea Sutthikas. He was inherited the knowledge of herbal medicines, snake and insect venom, massage, fractures with the use of rituals and incantation. Herbs used for treatment, such as Barleria lupulina Lindl., Indigofera tinctoria, and Cocos nucifera Linn. Treatment patterns include massage to loosen muscles, ground herbs, oil, spit/blow, consecrated oil, Thai massage, bone massage, etc. The body of knowledge, guidelines and principles of healing the symptoms of the folk healer can be used as a source of research for those who are interested in Thai traditional medicine and can use it as a guideline for selecting, patterns, and processes for using indigenous wisdom to cure diseases and take care of folk healers in the community.