Edible Plants & Medicinal Plants

Fishtail Palm

The inner core of the Fishtail Palm offers a sweet starch (carbohydrate) along with a refreshing taste. The downside is that you have to kill the whole tree to get it, but in a survival situation this is a good idea. In Southern Thailand, this is a very common plant. It can be found in both coastal areas as well as thick old-growth jungles.

Ficus (Fig)

There are over a hundred species of ficus in Thailand. Only a few species are edible for humans. The others are a very important food source for a wide variety of both arboreal and terrestrial animals. Each species of fig has its own species of fig wasp. The female goes inside the fig and lays her eggs. Eating a fig with wasp and/or eggs is a souce of protein. So, there is some carbohydrate value to the fruit and some protein value if it's full of wasps or eggs.

Bytheway, the fig is technically not a fruit, but a set of inverted flowers and seeds.

The figs in the photo to the left are quite small, not even as big as a dime.

Bauhinia

The young shoots and leave of this climbing plant are used in soups and curries. It is also a medicinal plant. The bark is used to soothes mucus membranes and it's a cure for dysentery.

The fiberous bark can be used to make rope.

Colubrina (Colubrina Asiatica)

This bush grows in secondary growth areas as well as along coastlines. The seeds are buoyant and they tolerate salt quite well.

Locals cook it on top of steamed fish. This versatile tropical plant can be used for food, medicine, as a fish poison and as a soap substitute. It's sometimes called the latherleaf as it creates a lather when rubbed vigorously.

Bak Wan Thale (Sea Sweet Mouth)

This coastal plant is found all over Southern Thailand. The leaves are edible and though not exactly delicious, contain needed vitamins and some sugars.

Otaheite Gooseberry (Euphorbiaceae)

Though this small tree most likely originated in Madagascar, it is found all over southern Thailand. The fruit is very sour. The seeds make it difficult to eat, yet some villagers make a chutney out of it. The young leaves are also edible.

This tropical fruit contains calcium, phosphorous, iron and vitamin C.

Emblic (Euphorbiaceae)

The fruit of this euphorb looks similar to the Gooseberry and it's also sour. But this fruit offers a lot of medicinal value. It is a laxative, an astringent, it's hemostatic, it cleans the intestines, it's an aphrodisiac of sorts and it contains a lot of vitamin C.

Kapok or Cotton Tree

The flowers of this useful tree are edible. They are used in curries for flavor and to add some color.

The roots are used as a diuretic and as a skin softener. The bark is useful for treating diarrhea and dysentery.

The sap (resin) can stop bleeding (Thai tobacco is also very good at stopping bleeding).

The flowers help sooth burns.

And finally, the seed pod is excellent stuffing for making mattresses and pillows. Kapok trees are common all over Thailand and southern Laos.

Lead Tree

This small tree is a relative of both the peanut family (leguminosae) and the Mimosa family (Minosoideae). It's very common throughout southern Thailand.

The shoots and young leaves are edible. They are often eaten raw with chilli paste.

If not cooked however, the tannic acid can be a bit strong. In fact, this plant used to be used to treat leather... so if the chillies don't upset your stomach, the acid will.

The Sacred Lotus

This important plant in Thai religion also offers a popular snack food. The seeds are eaten raw or made into sweets in the form of cakes, candies and syrups. The young leaves are edible as are the roots.

Nitta Tree

This tree that is common in the tropical jungles of southern Thailand comes into seed in the early summer. It's called Sataw in Thai. When they're ready, Thais from all walks of life crave them despite the fact that they give you very bad breath.

The young leaves are edible, but it's the seeds that the Thais really desire. They dip the raw or roasted seeds chillie paste and they cook them in curries, especially in spicy pork curry.

Pepper (Piperaceae)

This pepper family leaf grows close to the ground. A popular Thai snack called miang kam utilized these leaves. You take a leaf, form it into a sort of bowl-shape, then sprinkle with roasted coconut, ginger, small purple onions, a sweet syrup, peanuts and, of course, chillies. Each crunchy bite is a burst of different flavors.

The entire plant helps you expel gas and the roots and fruit cure dysentery. If you've got a toothache, crush the roots and leaves, then sprinkle on some salt.

Spider Flower

This common weed is found in secondary growth areas. The entire plant, exept the roots, are edible.

This plant has a lot of medicinal properties such as treating snake and scorpion bites. The roots are a stimulant, yet they help cool the body. The flowers are a dissinfectant. The seeds help get rid of tapeworms. And finally, the seeds and leaves are useful as a skin softener.

Cashews

Though not actually an indigeonous plant (it's native to the northeast coast of Brazil), the cashew tree has managed to spread all over southern Thailand. The cashew tree offers several opportunities for food. First, the young leaves and shoots are edible. They don't taste very good raw, but if you take a bite with rice, it adds a unique new flavor. There is a fruit on the cashew tree too. It is also edible. This succulent fruit is often tossed aside as the nut is so valuable. In a survival situation, the fruit is a good source of vitamin C. This tropical fruit also contains calcium, phosphorous and iron.

There are, of course, many more plants in southern Thailand. Join us as we explore the shorelines of tropical islands in search of tropical edible and medicinal plants.