About Thai Herbal Topicals

Studio Sapaan is the bridge by which Eastern Medicine and Western Medicine can meet, in the intersection of health and beauty. Thai Herbal Topicals brings the physical products to you, while Studio Sapaan provides the cultural framework and techniques for using these products at home, with your family, or in a clinic.

Click HERE for Studio Sapaan: Home Visits in Portland and Virtual Care

Thai Herbal Topicals was founded by two Thai Traditional Medicine practitioners and one Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner. Together we are bringing the beauty and effectiveness of Thai Herbal Medicine to the US. 

Image of co-founders Buz and Ploy on either side of Beth, standing and smiling in front of a counter with a wall of Thai herbs behind it.
Buz, Beth, and Ploy

What We Do

FRESH THAI HERBS

Grown in the heartland of Traditional Herbal Medicine in Ayutthaya, Thailand, our herbs are tended by hand, and assured of the highest quality. 

TRANSPARENCY: FARM TO FOOT RUB

You will see our entire production process as we grow into our GMP certified herbal facility.

 

SABAI: THE ART OF FEELING GOOD

“Sabai sabai” is a classic Thai phrase meaning relaxed, pleasantly without a care, or happy.

This happy state comes from not ignoring pain in life, but overcoming pain and consciously creating joy.

This is the art of resilience.

Who We Are

BUZ, CO-FOUNDER

Worakorn Kaewiam

During her childhood, Buz was raised in a big family where she spent most of the time with her grandparents. They normally took Buz around and gave her a hands-on experience with local plants. Using their knowledge, Buz’s grandparents taught her to collect and make use of these plants by turning them into the cooking ingredients, spices, and herbal remedies.

One of Buz’s vivid childhood memories was when she helped her grandparents make the herbal raw pill medicines. Buz took the ground herbs to mix them with honey, then sculpted them into the marble-sized balls. These little balls were sun-dried in the threshing baskets and were later stored in dry containers for future use. Depending on the type of the herbs, the herbal raw pills can be taken orally to cure various symptoms.

Combining her childhood lifestyle with the curiosity in this field, Buz grew fond of nature. Her interest in its nuances and usefulness eventually led her to continue her higher education in Thai Traditional Medicine at Thammasat University, Thailand.

    PLOY, CO-FOUNDER

    Ploychompoo Sirimungkalachai

    As a modern young adult who is fascinated by Health Science industry, Ploy was introduced to the Thai traditional medical professions by her upper classmate. She then became interested and decided to pursue her higher education in this field. During her study, Ploy learned that Thai medicines can treat various symptoms and illnesses mainly through naturally sourced herbs, which requires no complex equipment. One only needs two hands and the herbs to complete the process. Through such discoveries and practices, Ploy eventually developed a deep appreciation over the knowledge, value, and practicality of Thai medicine.

     

      BETH, CO-FOUNDER

      Elizabeth Griffing Russell

      After gaining her Master’s in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine at the top Chinese Medicine school in the US, Beth went on to spend time in Thailand with her husband, who grew up in Bangkok. She learned Thai Traditional Massage at the Wat Pho Chetawon School of TTM, and has since incorporated Thai massage, including steamed herbal compress use and external balms, into her acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine practice in Portland, Oregon.

      Beth was and continues to be astounded by the advanced external herbal approaches of Thai Traditional Medicine (TTM), as well as their lovely herbal scent which is seamlessly merged into the treatment. Beth has partnered with Buz and Ploy, exceptional herbalists with a depth of experience from childhood regarding the ways to incorporate natural therapies into daily life. Because of the strong contrasts of Thailand, with the hyper-industrialized, global metropolis of Bangkok side by side with the slower pace of the countryside, Traditional Thai Herbalists have found many effective ways to alleviate the stress and pain of modern lifestyles.

      Together Beth, Buz, and Ploy aim to bring the complexity and diversity of TTM to the American audience, starting with simple pain relief formulas. Most external formulas are meant to have an extremely simple application, using principles anyone can see to determine which type of external medicine to use. Thai Herbal Topicals creates this easy access to effective herbal pain relief, while honoring and supporting the culture and communities continuing this herbal medical knowledge. 

      IMAGES OF OUR PROCESS AND OUR PHILOSOPHY

      An altar in a Thai medicine clinic, showing a portrait on the wall of Jivaka, the father of medicine in Thailand, with an offering of incense and lotus flower buds on a table in front of it, under an altar of Buddhist statues.