Yao Ethnic Minority

　　-- A Unique Treatment: Drug-Bath in Pail

　　It can be seen everywhere in the Yao area that big fir wooden pail of 1 meter high, 0.6 meter wide and 0.7 meter long. It is the big pail for drug bathing. The Yao people pay great attention to bathing. Everyone should bathe in the big pail every night, no matter how hot or cold the weather is. It will make people relaxed and improve the blood circulation, therefore it can make the bather easy to fall sleep. In winter, people can resist cold in chilly wind. The therapy can resist diseases and strengthen the body by dipping the body in or rubbing it with decocted medicinal extract.

　　The herbs they used in the bath are from Dayaoshan Mountain where they live. Usually they pick them for themselves. They also clean and dry the herbs for future use. How much herbs should be used in prescriptions is not fixed and always depends on their habits and experience.

　　-- Yao Iatrology

　　The Yao people, living in the mountain areas of south China, have a long history and rich culture. In the long-term production practice, the Yao people accumulated much herb treatment experience and shaped the unique Yao iatrology.

　　The Yao people have bad living and producing conditions. There is a big possibility for them to be bitten by snakes or insects, injured by fall and fracture. The Yao ancestors had already summarized a set of treatments, including some simple but effective surgical operations besides orally taking medicines orally and plaster.

　　They employ various kinds of treatments and techniques. Besides observation, auscultation, interrogation and palpating, they also diagnose according to nails, palm, tongue, ears or face. Major therapies include taking herbals orally, external cleaning, external inunction, fumigating, heating and so on. In addition, bloodletting, acupuncture, bone-moxibustion, medicine moxibustion or drug-stick, cupping, needle-pricking, beating, clapping, curettage, rolling and rotating manipulation and massage also used for cure.

　　It is the Yao medicine characteristic to combine iatrology and medicine. From ancient times, the Yao doctors treated patients all by themselves such as diagnosing, collecting herbs and processing herbal medicines and writing prescriptions. Nowadays, there are still only clinics but no drug stores or drug directors in the Yao areas.