RootHerb®
RootHerb® is an Eastern-born wellness concept that focuses on the “root” of herbs and spices grown underground and brings their components into daily life. A registered trademark advocated by the Japan Root Herb Association (JRHA), it organizes the roots long valued in traditional and folk medicine (ginger, turmeric, galangal, etc.) — in contrast to aroma-led green herbs.
Advocated by the Japan Root Herb Association · registered trademarkA Quiet Stewardship of the Earth's Roots
About the AssociationThe Japan Root Herb Association (JRHA) is a general incorporated association that studies and introduces the Thai steam bath tradition known as the herbal sauna (op samun phrai), and the root herbs — RootHerb® — at the centre of it. Founded May 2024, based in Tokyo. It runs herb school and facility visits in Thailand, certifies the Thai Root Herbalist qualification, and compiles the herb index, the glossary and the nationwide herbal sauna guide.
Roots, slowly
gathered.Roots into daily life.
Japan Root Herb Association (JRHA) was founded to study, share, and preserve the traditional wisdom of herbal and spice roots — both academically and practically.
Ginger, turmeric, galangal, licorice — all of them roots that store their nourishment slowly beneath the soil, and all of them plants long used in the herbal traditions of Southeast Asia. Learning from the cultures on the ground in Thailand and beyond, we pass on where they come from and how they are used, in ways that suit modern life.
A root is a vessel that stores its nourishment slowly, beneath the soil.— JRHA Manifesto
What is RootHerb®
What is RootHerbMost of the herbs we see around us are green herbs with a fresh aroma — lemongrass, mint, and the like. The aromatic compounds of their leaves and flowers take the lead, and they have long been used to scent food and rooms.
In regions where traditional and folk medicine are rooted, by contrast, the "root" beneath the soil has long been the valued part — thought to be where the compounds concentrate.
This programme is about learning which part of which plant has been used, where, and how. RootHerb® is the name we put on that lineage of herbs used through the root, so it can be spoken of as one thing.
By knowing the components held in the root, we also promote the age-old idea of "ichibutsu-zentai" — that eating a food in its entirety brings good nutritional balance.
Within the roots that sleep beneath the soil, the rhythm of seasons and earth is held.
About the Association
Corporate Profile| Legal name | 一般社団法人 日本ルートハーブ協会 |
|---|---|
| English name | JAPAN ROOT HERB ASSOCIATION (JRHA) |
| Corporate number | 5011105011042 |
| Founded | May 2024 |
| Location | Tokyo, Japan |
| Representative director | Satoshi Ryuto |
| Directors | Nana Uchida / Koichi Suzuki |
| Special advisor | Tadateru Isono (head of the Thailand Samun Phrai Project) |
| Activities | Research on RootHerb®; herb school and facility visits in Thailand; certification of the Thai Root Herbalist qualification; seminars and workshops; compiling the RootHerb Index, the glossary and the nationwide herbal sauna guide; cultivation on our own and partner farms (full list below) |
| @jrha_official |
Purpose
Purpose as stated in the articles of incorporation: The association exists to foster cooperation among practitioners of various therapies and collaboration in academic research, and — for the general public — to advance and spread RootHerb®, working also with overseas bodies that share its aims, so as to contribute to human health.
Beyond enjoying aroma, we study the knowledge and uses of herbs that focus on the “root” long valued in traditional and folk medicine, and we promote the age-old idea of “ichibutsu-zentai” — that eating a food in its entirety brings good nutritional balance.
Activities
· Survey and research activities
· Producing video of research findings
· Conducting examinations and certifying qualifications
· Education to train RootHerb instructors and specialists
· Setting, publishing, and administering certification standards for RootHerb qualifications
· Programs to spread RootHerb
· Awareness activities through seminars and symposia
· Holding RootHerb workshops
· Exchange with related bodies in Japan and abroad
· Growing RootHerbs on our own and partner farms
· Operating this website