Page 19 - Proceedings of The Fifth Meeting of Indigenous Medicine in the Mekong Basin

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These four elements of the body must be equilibrium, if any one of these
elements imbalance, the body will become unhealthy. It’s also impact from the
imbalance of the four external elements and spirit. The theory of four elements was
one of the most powerful in the history of Angkor era.
NEAK PEOAN temple founded by the King Jayavaraman VII, showing the
central island and the four small lakes symbolizing the four elements “Tek: water,
Dey: earth, Phleung: fire and Kachal: air”.

Brief History of Traditional Khmer Medicine
DURING ANGKOR ERA
The Khmer Empire was one of the
most powerful empires in Southeast Asia.
The empire, which grew out of the former
kingdom of Chenla, at times ruled over
and/or vassalized parts of modern-day
Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Burma, and

Malaysia.
Its greatest legacy is Angkor, in
present-day Cambodia, which was the site
of the capital city during the empire's
zenith. Angkor bears testimony to the
Khmer empire's immense power and
wealth, as well as the variety of belief
systems that it patronised over time.

The empire's official religions included
Hinduism and Mahayana Buddhism, until Empire Khmer during King Jayavarman VII
Theravada Buddhism prevailed, even
among the lower classes, after its introduction from Sri Lanka in the 13th century.
Modern researches by satellites have revealed Angkor to be the largest pre-
industrial urban centre in the world.

Timeline of Angkor Era
 IXth century: beginning of Angkor Era
 XIIth century: peak of the Khmer Empire
 During its history, Khmer Empire has benefited from
the knowledge and the practices from multiple culture
(India, Chinese and more recently Western countries)
 This reach history has influenced and nourished the
Traditional Khmer Medicine
 IXth Century: Popular Medicinal plants are
represented on the oldest Khmer epigraphy : Areca
Catechue L. (Palmae) , Cocos nucifera L. (Palmae), Piper
betle L. (Piperaceae)
 XIIth Century: The “Leprer King” is represented
treated by Chaulmoogra fruits (Hydnocarpus
anthelminthicus Pirre ex Laness.)
 XIIth Century: Say-Fong Stele mentioned
Say Fong Inscription
found by Georges treatments used in Khmer hospital s to cure common
Maspéro in 1902 along disease s: Calophyllum inophyllum L. , Azadirachta indica
the Mekong River in
front of Muong-kuk in
Vientiane, Laos