Jingjok
Herbs and hospitals, side by side
sà-mǔn-prai
Thai people tend to be pragmatic about medicine. Many will take a modern drug from the pharmacy and a herbal remedy from grandma in the same week. แพทย์แผนไทย (Thai traditional medicine) is a regulated profession, taught at universities, and many public hospitals have a traditional-medicine clinic offering massage, herbal compresses and สมุนไพร. During COVID, the herb ฟ้าทะลายโจร was promoted by health authorities and sold out nationwide. If you try herbal products, look for an อย. (Thai FDA) number on the label, tell your doctor what you take, and be careful in pregnancy or with blood thinners.
Try this today
Ask at your local hospital whether it has a แพทย์แผนไทย clinic.
The words that carry it
Learn this in “Mind, body, Thai medicine” →
Your first 90 days of Thai
Culture cards in Jingjok are tied to the words that carry them, each ending in one thing to try today.
- WEEKS 1–2 · SURVIVEGreet anyone, pay, and order food and 7-Eleven exactly how you like it.
- WEEKS 3–6 · SETTLE INGet around by taxi, Grab and skytrain, find anything, and handle your landlord.
- WEEKS 7–12 · RUN YOUR LIFEPharmacy, bank, SIM and apps, how you feel, and a weekend away, all in Thai.
The first week is free.