The traditional medicine store of the Ruc people.

QTO - Having lived for generations in caves and amidst the vast Trường Sơn mountain range, the Rục people (Chứt ethnic group) in Kim Phú and Kim Điền communes have always relied on the forest for their livelihood, preserving hundreds of types of medicinal herbs for treating illnesses. For the Rục people, the Trường Sơn forest is an inexhaustible source of traditional medicine, helping them fight disease and survive for generations…

The Ruc people are "good at medicine".

Before being discovered and encouraged to settle by the Border Guard, the Ruc people's lives depended entirely on the forest. Born in caves and raised in the forest, the Ruc people had to adapt to a harsh natural environment.

Besides simply finding food to survive, when they fall ill, get injured in the forest, or are bitten by venomous snakes, they have to treat themselves. Through this process of survival, the Ruc people gradually discovered the medicinal uses of hundreds of herbs in the forest. Traditional medicine thus became an integral part of their lives, passed down from generation to generation, creating a source of indigenous knowledge within the community.

In the Ruc community, Mrs. Cao Thi Hau (70 years old) in Luong Nang-Hoa Son village (Kim Dien commune) is considered a renowned traditional healer. Besides common medicinal plants like mugwort, perilla, and licorice, Mrs. Hau is knowledgeable about the properties and medicinal uses of hundreds of other herbs. Furthermore, she knows how to combine these herbs into remedies for conditions such as asthma, sinusitis, hemorrhoids, and cirrhosis.

Ms. Cao Thi Hau (70 years old), a Ruc woman from Kim Dien commune, brings medicinal plants from the forest to plant in her home garden - Photo: PP

According to Ms. Hau, not only she but also her older sister and brother inherited the art of traditional medicine from their ancestors. Her grandfather and father are considered to be among the Ruc people with extensive knowledge of traditional medicine, dating back to their time living in caves. Currently, besides Ms. Hau, this family also includes Ms. Cao Thi Hieu from Yen Hop village (Kim Phu commune) and Mr. Cao Dung U from Luong Nang village (Kim Dien commune), both skilled traditional healers who know how to treat illnesses using medicinal plants.

Major Dinh Lam Vien, an officer at the Ca Xeng Border Guard Post ( Quang Tri Provincial Border Guard Command), who has spent many years working with the Ruc people, said: After more than 60 years of leaving their caves, thanks to the special attention of the Party and the State, the lives of the Ruc people have undergone significant changes. Now, when they are sick, the Ruc people know to go to clinics and hospitals for examination and treatment, especially for serious illnesses. However, in their daily lives, the Ruc people, especially those knowledgeable about traditional herbal medicine, still use herbal remedies to treat some diseases. In many cases, the Ruc people even combine Western medicine and herbal medicine to achieve the best treatment results.

Preserve for future generations.

According to the Center for Highland Resource Management Research (CEGORN) – under the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations – the Ruc community possesses a rich body of indigenous knowledge regarding the use of medicinal plants. Research has documented hundreds of herbal remedies used to treat dozens of disease groups, including incurable diseases such as cirrhosis and osteoarthritis. Traditional remedies for blood tonics, liver detoxification, postpartum women's health care, and improving physical well-being are also widely used by the community.

However, due to their isolated lifestyle and lack of mechanisms for preserving their knowledge, many valuable traditional remedies of the Ruc people are at risk of disappearing. Uncontrolled exploitation of medicinal plants in the wild also puts some valuable herbs such as Codonopsis pilosula, Panax pseudoginseng, large-leaved Angelica sinensis, and blood grass at risk of extinction. This is also a matter of concern for the local authorities and the elders in the Ruc community.

Dr. Ngo Van Hong, Director of CEGORN, stated that, with the responsibility of preserving forest resources and valuable indigenous knowledge, for many years the unit has collaborated with local authorities and the Ruc and Sach ethnic minority communities in Kim Dien and Kim Phu communes to establish traditional medicine associations; survey and catalog medicinal plant species in the forest, thereby helping the people protect and develop them further. This work not only preserves the valuable forest resources but also helps ethnic minority communities increase their income from these precious medicinal plants in the future.

In addition, CEGORN regularly organizes learning and exchange programs for the Ruc people with other neighboring communities such as the Bru-Van Kieu, May, Sach, and A Rem people to supplement their knowledge of medicinal plants, making their repertoire of medicinal plants even richer.

Phan Phuong

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/xa-hoi/202510/kho-thuoc-nam-cua-nguoi-ruc-bbb25d7/