Medicine that entertains

Medicine that entertains

After the fantasy period TV melodrama Bupphaesannivas (Love Destiny) aired last year, the nation was hooked on the series, which rekindled an interest in Thai history and culture.

Even though Bupphaesannivas has faded away, Thongek Morya Ta Chalong -- now airing on Channel 3 -- depicts another cultural heritage, Thai traditional medicine, in a hilarious way.

The romcom may not be as phenomenal as Bupphaesannivas, which drew huge audiences back in March and April of last year.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha welcomed the producer and cast of Bupphaesannivas to the Government House. The Ministry of Culture hosted seminars on the Ayutthaya period and tours of Ayutthaya Historical Park.

Crowds flocked to the historical park, particularly at Wat Chaiwatthanaram, a landmark in many scenes of the drama set during the reign of King Narai. Visitors wore traditional costumes -- which sold briskly -- and adopted the pronoun aor jao in addressing a lady.

Bupphaesannivas served as an inspiration for people to turn their interest toward Thai history, Thai costume and other elements they once neglected. Because of Bupphaesannivas, several events with the atmosphere of old Thailand were organised.

I still have "souvenirs" related to Bupphaesannivas. Traditional costumes like those donned by Ayutthayan female characters are somewhere in my cluttered wardrobe, not to mention traditional jewellery that I hoarded and hardly wore.

Now, as a fan of Thongek Morya Ta Chalong, I'm more into herbal medicine than synthetic drugs, and prefer Thai traditional massage to analgesics in relieving muscle pain.

The period romantic comedy was the talk of the town from the first episode, and has enjoyed increased ratings since.

In Thongek Morya Ta Chalong, the eponymous protagonist (played by Mario Maurer) succeeds his grandfather in becoming a practitioner of Thai traditional medicine, which aims to holistically achieve a balance in four elements of the human body -- namely, earth, water, wind and fire.

An equilibrium of the four elements means that one is in good health, whereas an imbalance leads to illness.

The series is educational in showing diagnosis and treatment, such as therapeutic massages, herbal remedies and the burning of medicinal herbs on the belly, with captions to introduce viewers to the Thai traditional medicinal approach.

It's highly entertaining, with twists like the appearance of Korean nobility (played by Nichkhun Horvejkul and Rasri Balenciaga Chirathivat), which reminded me of how Thongek Morya Ta Chalong shares a similarity to Dae Jang-geum (Jewel In The Palace) in reviving Eastern traditional medicine.

A hit in Thailand in 2005, the South Korean TV series is based on a real historical figure, Jang-geum -- the first and only female head physician to a Joseon king. While the drama depicted the rise of a woman in a male-dominated society, it also portrayed healthy cuisine and the use of herbs, acupuncture and other treatments in Korean traditional medicine.

Another interesting thing about Thongek Morya Ta Chalong is that the plot is set during the reign of King Rama V.

Historically, the Thai monarch was concerned about the extinction of Thai traditional medicine due to the availability of Western medicine, and commissioned a committee to compile the Royal Textbook Of Medicine, or Vejasart Chabab Luang, as a reference for practitioners.

Thai melodramas are known to be full of catfights, verbal abuse, revengeful ghosts and all that. In fact, many of them are educational, just like Bupphaesannivas and Thongek Morya Ta Chalong, which are a rare gem in Thailand's television industry.

Ending this Wednesday, Thongek Morya Ta Chalong has drawn many modern viewers back to Thai traditional medicine. If only there were more series like this, television could be a platform from which people can learn good stuff rather than all the rubbish we've seen through the years.

Kanokporn Chanasongkram is a feature writer for Life section of the Bangkok Post.

Kanokporn Chanasongkram

Feature writer

Kanokporn Chanasongkram is a feature writer for the Life section of the Bangkok Post.

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