The Phapsa Notes of Folk Medicine at Huaykaew Sub-district, Phukamyao District in Phayao Province

Abstract

          This article aims to study the background and design of Phapsa notes of folk medicine. Furthermore, it is to transliterate and analyze it according to four bodies of knowledge as follows: 1) ritual therapy (psychotherapy), 2) physical therapy; 3) food therapy; 4) practice to environment and super nature.

          This study is based on interviewing the folk medicine man and reading the Phapsa notes. It is found that the maintenance of local wisdom in northern Thailand is divided into two forms: 1) written history; 2) oral tradition. These are recalled by Lanna language and noted on a mulberry paper called Phapsa. It is one of methods to inherit the folk medicine of ancestors. Overall notes are kept in monastery and by sage villagers who had known Lanna language. Their roles have helped people to benefit from Phapsa through ritual, destiny, and exorcise ceremony, etc. For transliterating Phapsa notes, there are divided into three aspects as follows: 1) ritual therapy: it is transliterated into two books; 2) food therapy: it is transliterated into four books; and 3) practice to environment and super nature: it is divided into two books. For analyzing the details of Phapsa notes, there are too divided into three aspects as follows: 1) ritual therapy: it has two books, that is Words for Respecting Obligation and Thank Ceremony of Buffalo; 2) food therapy: it has two drug calculations: (1) herbal calculation: it is divided by symptoms of disease, drug calculations for paroxysm, etc.; (2) herbal medicine: it is divided by herbs, plants, etc.; and 3) practice to environment and super nature: it has noted the body of knowledge about auspicious times, such as a Note of Mae Hon Tai, a Note of Mae Wan Meng, Wan Puai, etc.