The profession of growing, collecting and using medicinal herbs not only serves to treat diseases and take care of the community's health, but now also opens up a new direction: combining with the development of community tourism .
The Dao people in Lao Cai have a rich treasure of knowledge about forest medicinal herbs. Many precious medicinal leaves such as bathing leaves, steaming leaves, tree roots to warm the body or treat bone and joint diseases have been used for many generations. Preserving and developing this precious resource is both meaningful for community health care and creating a foundation for building tourism services associated with cultural identity.
In Sa Pa, the Red Dao herbal bath service has become a typical tourism product, attracting a large number of domestic and foreign tourists. Many households combine the homestay model with herbal bath and sauna services, creating a unique experience, both relaxing and exploring the local culture.
Lao Cai province has about 850 medicinal plant species out of a total of 3,948 medicinal plant species; 78 species have potential for exploitation; 70 rare medicinal plant species are subject to conservation; many rare species have very high medicinal value, and are the main ingredients for producing special drugs.
A typical medicinal product considered a "specialty" of the locality is the Red Dao people's medicinal bath. It can be said that "If you come to Sa Pa but have not visited the village, have not bathed in the Red Dao ethnic medicinal leaves, have not relaxed in a po mu wooden tub with the special medicinal bath of the Red Dao people - a secret herbal medicine in the famous resort area, then you have not been to Sa Pa".
The Red Dao bath medicine is a combination of the quintessence of the mountains and forests with the medical knowledge and indigenous knowledge of the Dao community. After many years of only transmitting and promoting values within the community, now, with the participation of businesses in the production and market connection.
This famous bath medicine is becoming a unique tourist product of Lao Cai, not only bringing economic value but also helping local people preserve their unique medicinal products. The bath medicine of the Red Dao people in Sa Pa has been famous for a long time, and was introduced to serve tourists about 30 years ago. The bath medicine is based on some basic medicinal plants and depends on the purpose of use. This makes the bath medicine of the Dao people very diverse.
Plants used to make bath water are usually used fresh or dried. For some rare plants that need to be stored for year-round use, the medicine manufacturing facility must dry them (usually bundled into small bundles and placed in the kitchen). Nowadays, they have been extracted into concentrated bath water of better quality, can be preserved for a long time and are very convenient for users and long-distance transport.
Community tourism associated with medicinal plants
At homestays and community tourism sites, visitors can experience the process of picking medicinal leaves and boiling bath water. In addition, companies trading in Sa Pa indigenous products have built a brand of Dao herbal bath medicine and launched unique products such as herbal bath balm and herbal bath milk. These products have followed international tourists to Sa Pa national tourist area to countries around the world.
In addition to bath medicine, Dao people's foot bath medicine is also favored by tourists, produced from more than 100 species of indigenous herbs such as Chua Du, Xa, Huong Nhu, Ong Lao, ... with natural essential oils combined with active ingredients from wooden po mu tubs, bringing high efficiency in pharmacological treatment, reducing stress, fatigue, tension, and improving health. Red Dao ethnic herbs are a good product for health, have been widely spread, developed and preserved. This is also an important orientation of the locality to exploit indigenous knowledge, traditional herbs to develop an increasingly unique type of resort tourism in Sa Pa, so that every tourist when coming to Sa Pa resort, can rest, relax, and experience Dao people's herbal bath medicine.
According to statistics from the provincial tourism industry, many homestays managed by Dao women have been established and developed, bringing a stable source of income for their families.
They directly plant and take care of the medicinal plant garden around the house, then process it into bath and steaming leaves to serve guests. Visitors not only experience herbal baths but are also introduced to medicinal plants and hear stories related to long-standing customs and practices.
In Bac Ha, the local government also encourages households to build community medicinal herb gardens. Indigenous medicinal plants are planned and planted in concentrated areas, both for conservation and to create eco-cultural tourism products. This is a way to increase the value of medicinal herbs and at the same time help people escape poverty sustainably.
Sustainable development direction
Combining indigenous medicinal herbs with tourism not only helps diversify Lao Cai tourism products but also contributes to promoting culture and increasing income for ethnic minorities. Many experts say this is a model with great potential, if properly planned and supported with technical support.
Lao Cai province is currently implementing programs to support people in growing medicinal plants under the forest canopy, building the brand of Red Dao leaf baths, and connecting with travel companies to bring this tourism product to a wider market. This model not only creates economic value but also spreads the message of preserving indigenous knowledge, protecting forests and sustainable development.
"Indigenous medicinal herbs combined with tourism" is becoming a potential direction in Lao Cai. Experiences from herbal baths, herbal steam baths to staying at Dao people's homestays not only bring relaxation to tourists but also contribute to improving people's lives, preserving cultural identity and developing green economy in mountainous areas.
The article is made according to the National Target Program for the Poor and the emulation movement "The whole country for the poor - No one is left behind".
Source: https://baolaocai.vn/duoc-lieu-ban-dia-ket-hop-lam-du-lich-huong-di-moi-o-lao-cai-post880334.html
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