Tshuaj Ntsuab (Plant Medicine)

While many Hmong herbal medicine traditions have been lost or are no longer widely used, there is a special chicken diet with herbs that Hmong women traditionally follow for thirty days after giving birth. . . . The Hmong call this period “Nyob Nruab Hlis” or a month of restrictions and confinements. May’s family calls it “thirty days of purification” because it is a time to heal and realign the body after birth. This diet is thought to nourish the body with important vitamins and minerals, aiding in postpartum recovery. People who have used this diet postpartum report that it decreases vulnerability to illness and chronic conditions such as gastrointestinal problems, heartburn, prolapsed uterus or organs, and bowel or urine incontinence . . .

Thanks to the work of Zongxee, Mhonpaj, and May [described in Part I], some Twin Cities hospitals have begun to offer a simplified chicken soup option to Hmong people who give birth in their care. The herbs currently used in this setting are limited to those that have been easily identified: While the Lee family has extensive knowledge about these plants, without the scientific names hospitals were unable to verify that they could safely serve the full chicken soup diet to their patients. We hope this book will provide more information to instill confidence that this traditional diet can be safely utilized.