Page 31 - Proceedings of The Fifth Meeting of Indigenous Medicine in the Mekong Basin

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history of 2,500 years, and its theoretical system has been deeply influenced by the
ancient materialism Southern transfer of Theravada Buddhist philosophy. Dai
medicine’s core theories are SiTa, WuYun theories. Feature theory is "SanPan
theories", "YaJie theory" and "FengBi theory ".
The word of SiTa（wind, fire, water, soil）derived from the Buddhist “four
great elements”. Wind (Talon) stands for body's function, and which is the driving
force of human life activity. Fire (Taffin) for heat can mature all; Water (tower furans)
on behalf of the body material storage, water tower divide into the water, blood,
water homologous blood, it’s an important material for life-sustaining activities; earth
(Talin) stands for the body organs, tissues and organs; The four elements depend on
each other cannot be separated to maintain the body's normal life activities. The
WuYun (External shape, Ability to judge, Thinking ability, Sensitivity and tolerance,
Move and change) on behalf of human life activities and spiritual activities. The SiTa-
WuYun theory is that the world outlook and methodology of Dai medicine
understanding of the nature of variation of the human body and nature of all things,
explaining the origin of life, growth and development process, and the physiological
and pathological changes to guide the theory of the disease in prevention, diagnosis
and treatment.
YaJie (antidote) theory is the distinctive theory of the characteristics of Dai
medicine. Its core thought is that “treat before disease occurs and “after the first
detoxification treatment of diseases”, which means firstly taking the antidote to
relieve the body of toxins when the disease has not yet occurred to maintain the
balance and coordination of the SiTa, WuYun function to prevent the occurrence of
the disease. “After the first detoxification treatment of diseases” means firstly taking
the antidote and then to treat when diseases emerges, in order to get rid of various
risk factors and wrong treatment, inappropriate medication or side effects of drugs
used, and finally prescribe the right medicine, which can play a good therapeutic
effect. “Detoxification before the disease occurs” is an important part of Dai
Medicine, and also the characteristic of Preventive Medicine. In the region Dai
people, the antidote is widely used, every household equipped with different
antidotes to health and disease prevention.
Hung-Ya (fumigating therapy), Nuan-Ya (sleep-drug therapy), Fen-Ya drug
therapy (grinding), A-Ya (wash drug therapy), Nan-Ya (suppository therapy), Sang-
Ya (the thorn drug therapy), Guo-Ya (package drug therapy), Guo (cupping
Therapy), Zai-Ya (Cayao therapy), Bi (massage therapy) is the most characteristics
of Dai medicine treatment, a natural therapy areas. Such therapy to adjust and
restore the body's own gasification, accessible natural healing, thereby enhancing
resistance to disease, improve health, to achieve cure of disease preventing and
fitness of purpose. Their characteristic is to have treating functional and non-toxic
side effects.
Special rainforest climate gives Dai people rich natural resources, the area
famous as “animal and plant kingdom”, ”NanYao town”. According to statistics, Dai
medicine having various products, there are 228 families, 372 genera, and 1300
kinds, 1858 of common plant medicine species, 300 kinds of rare and endangered
species in Xishuangbanna Dai folk medicine. Dai medical is good at using fresh
Drugs to treat diseases, covering gynecological, orthopedics, digestive and Urinary
system disease. Using antidote is the characteristics Dai medicine.
Dai medicine knowledge is recorded in pattra-leaf scriptures, pattra-leaf
scriptures along with the Buddhism introduced into the Dai area. Pattra-leaf
scriptures of the Dai nationality are the encyclopedia. Dai medicine classic including: