Glossary
The Herbal Lexicon
The words of RootHerb and the herbal sauna, made simpleRootHerb®, op samun phrai, rhizome — once you know what these unfamiliar words mean, Thai herb culture comes much closer. The Japan Root Herb Association (JRHA) has defined them one by one, in the context of culture and history. Start with whichever catches your eye.
The RootHerb® concept
- RootHerb®ルートハーブ®
- 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. Eastern traditional medicine is said to have treated these roots as “warming” crude drugs.→ More on this term
- Green Herbグリーンハーブ
- Green Herb is a collective term for herbs enjoyed for the “aroma” of their leaves and flowers — lemongrass, mint, basil, and the like. The Japan Root Herb Association (JRHA) uses the term in contrast to RootHerb®, which stores compounds in the root, organizing herbs into those “enjoyed for aroma” and those “used through the root.”→ More on this term
- Ichibutsu-zentai (whole-food principle)一物全体
- Ichibutsu-zentai is an Eastern dietary-wellness idea that eating a food in its entirety — skin, root, and fiber included — brings good nutritional balance. The Japan Root Herb Association (JRHA) promotes this idea as the foundation of RootHerb®, which uses a root’s components together with its skin and fiber.→ More on this term
Herbal sauna
- Op Samun Phraiオップサムンプライ · อบสมุนไพร
- Op samun phrai is the traditional Thai herbal sauna; the name means “to steam with medicinal herbs” (op = to steam, samun phrai = medicinal herbs). In this bathing culture, fresh herbs rise with the steam. Studies of Thai traditional medicine report that the herbal steam bath has been understood as a way to warm the body, raise a sweat, and clear the skin and airways. The Japan Root Herb Association (JRHA) researches its origins and sites across Thailand.→ More on this term
- Herbal Saunaハーバルサウナ
- A herbal sauna is a sauna enjoyed by letting medicinal herbs rise with the steam. In Thailand it is called “op samun phrai,” using ginger, turmeric, lemongrass and more. The Japan Root Herb Association (JRHA) introduces its culture and history to Japan through on-site training in Thailand.→ More on this term
- Luk Prakop / Herbal Compress Ballルークプラコップ（ハーブボール） · ลูกประคบ
- Luk prakop is a traditional Thai herbal ball (warm compress): medicinal herbs wrapped in cloth, steamed, and pressed to the body. RootHerbs such as plai and turmeric are central to it, and it is deeply tied to the cultures of Thai massage and the herbal sauna — one of the traditional techniques covered in JRHA on-site training.→ More on this term
Herbs & plants
- Rhizomeライゾーム（根茎）
- A rhizome is a modified plant stem that grows horizontally underground and stores nutrients — ginger, turmeric, galangal, and plai being typical examples. RootHerb®, advocated by the Japan Root Herb Association (JRHA), rests on the traditional idea that a plant’s components concentrate in this rhizome.→ More on this term
- Galangalガランガル（カー） · ข่า
- Galangal (kha / ข่า in Thai) is a rhizome in the ginger family — a RootHerb that resembles ginger yet carries a citrus-like, refreshing aroma and pungency. Essential to Thai dishes such as tom yum goong, it has also been used in traditional medicine and the herbal sauna. Featured in the JRHA RootHerb Index.→ More on this term
- Turmericカミン（ウコン／ターメリック） · ขมิ้น
- Kamin (ขมิ้น) is the Thai word for turmeric. A vivid orange rhizome, it has long been cherished as a central presence in Thai traditional medicine, home cooking, and the herbal sauna — one of the representative RootHerbs handled by the Japan Root Herb Association (JRHA).→ More on this term
- Plaiプライ · ไพล
- Plai (ไพล) is a rhizome in the ginger family — a RootHerb representing Thailand that lies at the heart of the herbal ball “luk prakop” and the herbal sauna. With a cooling, spicy aroma, it is inseparable from Thai warm-care culture. Featured in the JRHA RootHerb Index.→ More on this term
Tradition & wellness
- Mibyō (pre-symptomatic state)未病
- Mibyō is a concept in Eastern medicine for the in-between state that is neither illness nor wellness. The word comes from the classics of Eastern medicine, and the Japan Root Herb Association (JRHA) includes it in this glossary to explain the Eastern view of everyday care that lies behind RootHerb®.→ More on this term
- Thai Traditional Medicineタイ伝統医療 · แพทย์แผนไทย
- Thai traditional medicine is a folk and traditional wellness system long handed down in Thailand, combining medicinal herbs, massage, and warming practices. The herbal sauna “op samun phrai” is part of it. The Japan Root Herb Association (JRHA) researches this culture and history on site and introduces it in the context of RootHerb®.→ More on this term
Association & certification
- Root Herbalistルートハーバリスト
- Root Herbalist is a Thailand-based certification awarded to those who have studied the history, theory, and practice of Thai RootHerbs. On the Japan Root Herb Association (JRHA) on-site training in Thailand, participants may earn it (optional) through a one-day course and exam led by local instructors.→ More on this term
- Japan Root Herb AssociationJRHA（日本ルートハーブ協会）
- JRHA (Japan Root Herb Association) is the body that advocates the RootHerb® concept and conducts research, education, and on-site training on traditional medicine and herbal-sauna culture in Thailand and beyond. Its aim is to spread, in Japan, the difference between aroma-led green herbs and RootHerbs used through the root.→ More on this term