Herbal Medicine

Most Hmong shaman altars will have two sections. One section for the shaman spirits and one section for Yum Vaj or the medicine altar. If you're not feeling well and medicine has not worked, consider a holistic approach. Go find an herbal plant outside, anything that you can find in a garden that can be turned into a tea or cream. Plants like mint, hibiscus, ginger, lemon/lime, dandelion, lemon grass, turmeric, ginseng, and even marijuana can help.

In order for the leaves and the plant to fully work you must ask permission and help from the plant. If there's no shaman around to help you do this, you can do this yourself as well! Below is a little saying (in Hmong) you can say when abstracting or taking a plant for its medicinal use. Make sure you say the first line first and then after you can start picking at the plant. You do not need to burn joss sticks or spirit money.

After abstracting and diffusing it into a tea, make sure you say the incantation one more time before drinking it. If you turn it into a cream (you can do this with the turmeric or ginger and black pepper), do the same thing; say the incantation before applying the cream. That just symbolizes the recognition to that plant that you are now using its medicine and power and making it a part of you.

LINE 1: Siv Os, thov txog koj mi Yum Vaj, koj mi Yum Kab Yeem Kav Tshuaj

LINE 2: 99 lu rooj, peb yuav thov koj 99 hauv koob

LINE 3: 88 lu hav, peb yuav thov koj 88 hauv kuab tsa

LINE 4: Yum Vaj li kuab tshuaj ntsuab, Coj mus siv koj muaj kuab

LINE 5: Yum Vaj li kuab tshuaj zoo, Coj mus siv koj muaj hmoov

LINE 6: Yuav haus peb qab zes, koj sawv ncaj li yees

LINE 7: Yuav noj peb qab zos koj sawv ntseg li hlo

LINE 8: Siv Os, thov txog koj mi Yum Vaj, koj mi Yum Kab Yeem Kav Tshuaj