Against Nature: Herbal Steaming in Vietnamese Traditional Medicine

How do we remain connected to land in urban areas? What does it mean to grow culturally-relevant crops as a form of resilience? In this workshop, Phoebe will share her experience in growing Vietnamese herbs “against nature” and engage participants in developing a relationship with medicinal plants in their own home. 

The ancient practice of herbal home remedies can be traced back thousands of years to the “southern school” of medicine in Vietnam called “thuốc nam.” Unlike its northern counterpart, “thuốc bác,” which borrows from the teachings of traditional Chinese medicine, thuốc nam was founded on the belief system that Vietnamese southerners had the climate and terroir to cultivate their own native medicinal gardens, and therefore, learn practical ways of healing themselves at home. Herbal steams, known as “xông hơi” in Vietnamese, were a culturally important and effective way of treating all manner of ailments and ridding the body of muscle aches and body fatigue. In this workshop, participants will make their own bundles of steaming herbs and learn about their medicinal properties. Phoebe will then demonstrate the process of making an herbal steam at home, and participants will take part in a communal herbal steam in the park. 

Host or Publisher Field Meridians