GOURD LEAF (Coccinia grandis)
This attractive creeper is an age-old Thai medicinal ingredient used to soothe skin irritations, and is also a tasty ingredient in clear soups. Thais also found use for its moisturising properties as a beauty ingredient in body wraps and facial gels (it is good for use on normal skins.) The ripe fruit is high in vitamins, but its use is becoming rarer, because the fruit is tiny and difficult to find.
SEA SALT
Seen in glistening white heaps along the salt farms that dot Thailand's long coastal roads, natural sea salt has been adopted by many spas in beauty treatments. Mixed with essential oils, the gritty texture makes an effective body scrub.
LOOFAH (Luffa cylindrica)
Thais use the sweet-tasting young fruit of this gourd in a number of traditional dishes, and eat the flowers blanched, with chilli sauce. The dried mature fruit consists of thick fibres and is used as an exfoliating sponge in the bath.
BUTTERFLY PEA FLOWER (Clitorea ternatea)
For centuries Thai women have used the juices of anchan, a dark purple flower, to promote dark, lustrous, thick hair. It was also rubbed into babies' eyebrows to make the brows grow thick and long. The flower is rich in Bioflavinoid, an ingredient in modern-day hair products that stimulate hair growth.
COCONUT (Cocos nucifera)
The coconut has myriad uses in Thailand. When the fruit is ripe, the hard, white flesh is grated, soaked in water and squeezed to produce coconut milk, an important ingredient in Thai curries and desserts. The ripe fruit contains a juice that makes a refreshing drink in hot weather. Oil of copra, extracted from the dried meat, is used as an ingredient in the cosmetics industry. Coconut oil was used in the olden days to treat stiff joints; the oil was heated with prai (see page 19) and the mixture rubbed in.
RICE (Oryza sativa)
Rice is the lifeblood of Thai life. As the key crop and main food staple, it is highly revered in traditional culture and is protected by a goddess called Jao Mae Po Sob. The monarch officiates at the annual Royal Ploughing Ceremony, which marks the first day of the planting season. In the past Thais used rice to ward off ghosts—chanting monks endowed sacred properties onto rice that was then thrown on unwelcome spirits to chase them away. Many modern-day spas have adopted raw rice as an effective ingredient in natural body scrubs.
SWEET BASIL (Ocimum basilicum)
This fragrant, spicy herb—called horapha in Thai—is eaten raw or used as a flavouring in many local dishes. It has medicinal properties and is used in traditional healing to help reduce mucous in colds and flu, eliminate gas and aid digestion. As an aromatherapy ingredient, the essential oil of the basil plant is used to refresh the senses and relieve tiredness.
MENTHOL
Known as phimsen in Thai, this is a mineral with a sharp, minty smell similar to that of camphor. Its refreshing smell helps ease respiratory problems, coughs and blocked sinuses. Phimsen is an important ingredient in Thai traditional herbal steams.
PRAI (Zingiber sp)
Prai is a rhizome of the ginger family and has been used for centuries as a herbal ingredient in hot compresses that are applied to relieve muscular aches and pains. It is also a natural emollient and has been used by generations of Thai women to tone and soften the skin. Prai oil is also popular as a scalp conditioner and is used in aromatherapy.
GINGER (Zingiber sp)
Thais use both the young and mature ginger rhizome in many foods and beverages. Ginger is known as a stimulant that has a heating effect on the body. Taken as a herbal drink, it helps reduce gas and aids digestion. Traditionally, Thai mothers used a ginger treatment if their baby had an upset stomach. A paste of crushed ginger and rice liquor was rubbed on to the baby's tummy to soothe the stomach discomfort and reduce any gas. In aromatherapy, the essential oil is used to boost circulation and ease stiff muscles.
GALANGAL (Languas galanga)
This rhizome is often mistaken for ginger, but its whitish colour with a pinkish tinge identifies it as galangal, a popular ingredient in Thai soups and curries for its fragrant, tangy aroma. Though too pungent to be eaten raw, the fresh root is used in traditional medicine to relieve digestive ailments and cure skin diseases. Galangal finds its way into modern spa treatments as an ingredient in herbal body wraps.
TURMERIC (Curcuma domestica)
This orange-coloured rhizome is dried and crushed to form a powdered spice and colouring for many kinds of food. Called khamin in Thai, turmeric is one of the key ingredients in Thai healing concoctions. It is used in herbal medicine to treat stomach discomfort and in traditional cosmetics for skin care. When crushed, the oil the rhizome yields is an efficient natural moisturiser and it also has antiseptic properties.
Not pictured:
PAPAYA (Carica papaya)
The ripe fruit contains the enzyme papain, which is known for its digestive properties. The bright orange fruit contains large amounts of Vitamins A and C, and acts as a digestive when eaten unripe, or a laxative when eaten ripe. It is also known to contain AHA, making it a popular and effective ingredient in body wrap treatments to exfoliate and smoothe the skin.
THAI WHITE MUD (see page 101)
Thailand's famous white mud or dinsaw pong (the name means 'puffed-up pencil' because it is a white chalk that expands in water) is a natural cooler. It has a pleasant smell and traditionally was used in the same manner as talcum powder after a shower, to help cool the body in hot weather. It is used as an ingredient in face masks and body wraps for its cooling properties.
NUTMEG (Myristica fragrans)
Though not a commonly used ingredient in Thai cosmetics or cuisine, this spice has medicinal uses in southern Thailand. Here, the oil is extracted from ground nutmeg and is used in massage oil to soothe muscular aches and pains and stimulate the muscles. It has a warm, spicy scent that relieves fatigue.
LEMONGRASS
