Research on Traditional Herbal Medicine Culture of Guangxi Minorities

Lin KANG Xinlu YU Zhonghua DAI Hua ZHU

Abstract Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region is a multi-ethnic area with 12 ethnic groups including Han, Zhuang, Yao, Miao, Dong, Maonan, Hui, Jing, Yi, Shui, Gelao, and Mulao. The traditional herbal medicine culture of Guangxi ethnic minorities is an important component of the traditional medicine culture system of ethnic minorities in Guangxi, and an extremely important part of China餾 ethnic minority medicine culture. The ethnic minorities of Guangxi have accumulated rich experience in disease prevention and treatment in the long process of production and life, and formed a unique minority medical culture.

Key words Guangxi; Ethnic minorities; Traditional herbal medicine; Medical culture

Received: March 3, 2020Accepted: April 20, 2020

Supported by Guangxi Key Subject During "13th Five-Year Plan": Education Science (GJKX［2017］9/2017B086); Guangxi Key Laboratory of Zhuang and Yao Medicines (GKJZ［2014］32); Guangxi "2011 Collaborative Innovation Center": Collaborative Innovation Center for Zhuang and Yao Medicines (GJKY［2013］20); Guangxi First-class Discipline: Chinese pharmacy (0501802815); Guangxi Key Discipline: Zhuang Medicine (GJKY［2013］16); The 8th Batch of Specially Appointed Experts Project in Guangxi (GRCTZ［2019］13); the First Batch of "Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Talents" in Guangxi (GKZZ［2019］42); Development of a New Zhuang Medicine Huotanmu Capsule for the Treatment of Hepatitis B (NKF［2018］11); Guangxi First-class Discipline of Chinese Pharmacy: Ethnopharmacology (GJKY［2018］12).

Lin KANG (1977-), female, P. R. China, associate professor, devoted to research about design art.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: zhuhuagx@163.com.

The traditional herbal medicine culture of ethnic minorities is a constituent of human traditional medicine culture system, an important part of the world medicine culture, and a vivid reflection of human cultural diversity. In order to survive and develop, ethnic minorities have come to understand nature, adapt to nature, and transform nature in their own production and life processes. In the course of a long historical process, they have accumulated rich experience in disease prevention and treatment and formed the traditional herbal medicine culture of ethnic minorities with distinctive national characteristics. It is the traditional herbal medicine culture of these ethnic minorities that has long protected the health of the nation. The traditional herbal medicine culture of ethnic minorities is the intangible cultural heritage of human beings. It has distinct traditional nature, liveliness, regionality, life character and folk character［1］, which are reflected in all aspects of life in the clothing, food, housing and transportation of various ethnic minorities. It is closely related to the lives of people of various ethnic minorities and passed down from generation to generation among people of all ethnic groups.

The Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region is located in the south of China and is an area where many ethnic groups live together. It is said that "High Mountain Yao, Mid-mountain Miao, Han people live on the flat land, and Zhuang and Dong live in the mountain trough." There are 12 ethnic groups including Han, Zhuang, Yao, Miao, Dong, Maonan, Hui, Jing, Yi, Shui, Gelao, and Mulao. The traditional herbal medicine culture of Guangxi ethnic minorities is an important component of the traditional medicine culture system of Guangxi ethnic minorities, as well as an extremely important part of China餾 ethnic minority medicine culture. Guangxi ethnic minorities have accumulated rich experience in disease prevention and treatment in the long process of production and life, and formed a unique minority medical culture with a strong Guangxi ethnic customs.

Introduction of Traditional Herbal Medicine Culture of Various Nationalities

Traditional herbal medicine culture of the Zhuang nationality

The Zhuang nationality is the main ethnic group in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and the most populous ethnic group in China. More than 90% of the Zhuang people live in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The Zhuang people were the earliest and most important pioneers in Guangxi. As early as the Shang Dynasty more than two thousand years ago, the ancestors of the Zhuang people were included in ancient books under the names of Oudeng and Guiguo; Ouluo and Luoyue in the Qin and Han Dynasties were the distant ancestors of the Zhuang nationality; and the Song Dynasty was a key historical period in which the Zhuang nationality became a nationality. The Zhuang nationality began to appear in the historical records of the Song Dynasty. Fan Chengda in the Song Dynasty wrote in Guihai Yuheng Zhi : "The people of Qingyuan and Xidong, Nandan County are called Tong." After the founding of New China, it was collectively referred to as "Tong" after nation identification following the wishes of the nationality, and was renamed "Zhuang" in 1965.

The Zhuang medicine, which was formed and developed in the long production and life and the practice of combating diseases, sprouted in the pre-Qin period. After continuous practice and summary, the Zhuang medicine system has basically been formed in the Tang and Song dynasties. The Zhuang medicine is an important part of China餾 traditional medicine, and it is still the main health resource on which the majority of the Zhuang people rely on for the prevention and treatment of diseases and health protection.

Folk songs of the Zhuang medicine

The inheritance of Zhuang medicine and its continuous updating and development are inseparable from Zhuang medicine folk songs. Gexu is very popular in the Zhuang area. The people of Guangxi Zhuang ethnic group can use folk songs to inherit the traditional herbal medicine culture of the Zhuang nationality, thereby combining medical knowledge and folk songs as a whole. These medical folk songs are passed down from generation to generation, which makes Zhuang medicine inherited. The traditional herbal medicine folk songs of Guangxi Zhuang people can be understood easily, and are full of characteristics of Guangxi folk songs. They are an important content of Guangxi minority medical culture［2］.

Guangxi Zhuang traditional herbal medicine culture is one of the expression forms of Luoyue culture

Luoyue people are ancient people living in Lingnan and the ancestors of the modern Zhuang, Maonan, Dong, Shui, and Mulao ethnic groups. The ancient country of Luoyue created a splendid Luoyue culture that still affects Chinese civilization. For example, the culture of Huashan cliff mural in Ningming County, Guangxi, is a national key cultural relic, and the more consistent view is that the Huashan cliff mural is an action figure created by the traditional herbal medicine culture of the Zhuang people for disease prevention and strengthening the body. The use of murals and other methods to reflect the traditional herbal medicine for the prevention and treatment of diseases is a major feature of ancient Zhuang medicine［3］.

Folk traditional herbal medicine cultural activities of the Zhuang nationality—Dragon Boat Festival medicine market

Guangxi Jingxi Dragon Boat Festival medicine market is a representative of the unique Guangxi minority ethnic medicine customs. This activity began in Tang and Song Dynasties and flourished in Ming and Qing Dynasties. Every year on the Dragon Boat Festival, the fifth day in the fifth lunar month of the lunar calendar, the people of Jingxi and surrounding counties who know "one prescription, one medicine" and Zhuang medicine farmers take various kinds of self-picked herbs or homemade Chinese patent medicines to Jingxi county for centralized sale. Nowadays, under the strong support of government departments, the Jingxi Dragon Boat Festival medicine market is not only for trading traditional fresh herbal medicine, but also for exchange and teaching of traditional herbal medicine experience and knowledge to each other and organizing forums on traditional herbal medicine skills display, Guangxi traditional herbal medicine revitalizing and other activities［4］.

Featured Zhuang traditional herbal medicine theory

Since the 1990s, some Zhuang medicine scholars focusing on the research of Zhuang medicine have formed the "Bagui School of Thought" of Zhuang traditional herbal medicine theory, that is, "Zhuang Medicine School of Thought ". The Zhuang medicine theory focuses on "yin and yang as the basis", "three qi synchronization", "three channels and two paths" and "viscera, flesh and bones, qi and blood" as the core. The core of "yin and yang as the basis" as the basis is "balance", emphasizing a balance between man and nature and the body; the core of "three qi synchronization" is "motion", emphasizing that people adapt to nature, and various parts of human body are in an interactive and coordinated state. "three channels and two paths" refers to the grain channel, water channel, air channel, long path and huo path, and the core is "communication", emphasizing the "smoothness" of the internal functions of the human body. Three smooth channels show a healthy state, and blocked channels result in illness. Commonly used traditional herbal medicine theory of the Zhuang nationality can be divided into: Qi regulating medicine, antidote, tonic medicine, Tongsandao medicine, Tonglianglu medicine and so on. From the perspective of prescription, prescriptions are selected according to the theory that the Gong medicine, Mu medicine, Bang medicine and Dai medicine are matched［5］.

Medicated thread moxibustion of Zhuang medicine

The medicated thread moxibustion of Zhuang medicine is a folk therapy of Guangxi Zhuang nationality discovered and organized by chief physician Huang Hanru and professor Huang Jinming, based on the experience of Zhuang doctor Long Yuqian. During the therapy, a certain acupoint or location on the body surface of a patent is directly and rapidly cauterized, which causes local warm or mild burning irritation to treat disease. The treatment mechanism is to dredge the long channel and huo channel through the stimulation of medicated thread moxibustion to adjust the synchronous balance of the three qi of the human body. Medicated thread moxibustion has the effects of reducing numbness, relieving pain, relieving itching, dispelling wind-evil, diminishing inflammation, activating blood circulation to dissipating stasis, and subsiding swelling. The characteristics of medicated thread moxibustion therapy: It requires simple equipment, just a lamp and a piece of thread; during moxibustion, the patient who is treated only feels burning sensation of ant bite, which disappears quickly; and the therapy causes no scar after local moxibustion, without adverse response and sequelae, and is safe and reliable［5］.

In 2011, the State Council promulgated the third batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists, including the Zhuang medicated thread moxibustion therapy.

Traditional herbal medicine culture of the Yao nationality

The Yao nationality was first seen in "Liang Shu·Zhang Zuan Zhuan". The name "Moyao" appeared successively during the Sui and Tang Dynasties. After the Yuan Dynasty, it was insulted and called "Yao" and "Manyao". After the founding of New China, it was changed to "Yao". The Yao nationality is an ethnic group that migrated more in Chinese history. The Yao nationality moved in Guangxi from Hunan and Guangdong since the Sui and Tang Dynasties. By the Ming Dynasty, Guangxi became the main distribution area for the Yao nationality. The Yao nationality is an ethnic group with a population second only to the Zhuang nationality in Guangxi, mainly living in mountainous areas, forming a distribution pattern of "no mountain, no Yao in Ling Nan". There are 6 Yao autonomous counties, namely, Jinxiu, Bama, Fuchuan, Gongcheng, Du餫n and Dahua.

The Yao餾 traditional herbal medicine culture theory is centered on the "triple harmony theory", " profit and loss balance theory" and "qi ten thousand-transformation theory". The "triple harmony theory" emphasizes the coordination and balance among heaven, earth and man. The "profit and loss balance theory" pays attention to the coordination and balance inside the human body. The "qi ten thousand-transformation theory" emphasizes the importance of qi to the nature and the human body. The traditional medicine culture of the Yao nationality divides Yao medicine into Wuhu, Jiuniu, Shibazuan, Qishierfeng and other categories, and the treatment of diseases is guided by this theory. In 2010, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine established the first Yao medicine college to cultivate high-level talents of Yao traditional medicine culture.

Medicated bath of the Yao nationality: Yao people live in cold highland areas and are prone to rheumatism. Yao medicine has a significant effect on rheumatism. The main method is medicated bath. Its formula includes Ophiophagus hannah, Urtica fissa, Helicteres elongata, Mucuna macrocarpa , vines of Pueraria lobata , woolen yarn, and ginger, which are decocted to wash body. Yao people bath with this medicine all year round. It can not only cure rheumatism, but also eliminate drowsiness and fatigue, and women can recover their health through the medicated bath.

Traditional herbal medicine culture of the Miao nationality

The Miao nationality is an ancient nationality. As early as the 3rd century BC, their ancestors had already lived in the present Dongting Lake area in Hunan Province. It was only after the Song Dynasty when they moved from Hunan and Guizhou to Guangxi. The Miao nationality餾 title was first seen in the annals before the Qin and Han Dynasties, with the names "Sanmiao" and "Youmiao". It was insulted and called "Man" in the Han Dynasty, and re-called "Miao" after the Tang and Song Dynasties. In Guangxi, there are Miao people living in 4 autonomous counties, Rongshui, Sanjiang, Longsheng and Longlin.

The traditional herbal medicine culture of the Miao nationality is based on the "gang, jing, zheng, and ji" theory. There are two kinds of "gang" (leng, re diseases), five kinds of "jing" (leng, re, banbian, ya, kuaijing), 36 kinds of "zheng", and 72 kinds of diseases. The treatment is mainly carried out by taking oral medicine, external application, fumigation and steaming (steaming with water containing medicines, fumigation), needle (silver needle, fire needle), touching (touching with hand, fire, cigarette stick), washing (medicine washing), pulling (fire pulling), thumping, pushing, scraping (oil scraping, medicine scraping), medicinal wine (rubbing outside, taking orally), boiling medicine and rinsing, wearing medicine, etc. ［6］. The medication is mainly based on local herbs and ancestral secret recipes. The Miao medicine is good at the treatment of trauma and rheumatism. The treatment methods include 36 fire treatment, silver egg curettage, medicine sugar needle therapy and medicine fumigation therapy. Special diseases are treated with special prescriptions, and fresh medicine for external use is its medication characteristic.

Fumigation therapy of the Miao traditional herbal medicine culture: It is called "Wu Cuo Sao" in Miao language, which means "steaming" people with traditional Miao medicine. The principle of treatment is to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis first. If the blood is inactive, the blood stasis cannot be removed. The principle of treatment is to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis first. If the blood is inactive, the blood stasis cannot be removed. The second is to disperse wind and qi, so as to relieve rigidity of muscles and activate collaterals and relieve swelling and pain. Commonly used Miao herbs, Wujiapi, Touguxiao, Claoxylon indicum, Sargentodoxa cuneata, Pilea symmeria, Ventilago leiocarpa, Lycopodium japonicum, Ardisia crenata , Yiduoyun, Dabogu, Xiaobogu, Bauhinia championii , Hongbeiniang, Daphniphyllum calycinum , Chuifengsan and Xiaofasan for promoting blood circulation to remove blood stasis, relieving rigidity of muscles and activating collaterals and removing toxicity for detumescence are chosen, boiled in water and covered with a steaming box, and the whole body of the patient is steamed with the medicinal vapor to achieve the treatment effect［6-7］.

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Traditional Herbal Medicine Culture of the Dong nationality

The Dong people claim to be "Jin" and belong to a branch of the ancient Yue people. In the Chinese historical records, the Dong areas are often referred to as "Dong" and "Mandong". The ethnic minority living in "Xigudong" is called "Dongmin", "Dongman" and "Dongren". In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the "Jimi Prefecture" was established in the place where ethnic minorities lived in northern Guangxi. It was only in the Qing Dynasty that the title evolved from the ancient "Dong" to the current "Dong" , becoming Dong餾 special name. The Dong nationality of Guangxi is mainly distributed in such three autonomous counties as Sanjiang, Longsheng and Rongshui.

Guangxi Dong Medicine is mainly distributed in Dong Village of Sanjiang County, and has more than 10 popular techniques, such as cupping therapy with horns, scraping therapy with wooden combs, moxibustion therapy with oil lamps, external smear therapy with knives and cigarettes, and flapping therapy, all of which have strong Dong characteristics. Dong doctors are good at treating trauma, snake wounds, rheumatism, sha disease and malnutrition. They divide diseases into 4 major diseases and 24 minor diseases; pediatrics mainly focuses on sha disease and malnutrition and gui (swollen lumps); surgery mainly focuses on furuncles, sores, anthrax, carbuncles, dan, and madness; the diagnosis method is feeling the pulse with one hand, male left female right, while the pulse includes "three-out three-turn pulse", "Siba Hukou pulse", etc. ; the treatment methods are mainly herbal rubbing method, tobacco pipe tunk method, medicated bath and other treatment methods. There are more than 290 commonly used Dong medicines, and the Dragon Boat Festival is Dong medicine bathing festival every year.

Traditional herbal medicine culture of the Maonan nationality

The Maonan nationality is originated from the Baiyue ethnic group in ancient China. It is recorded as "Maotan" in the historical records of the Song Dynasty, followed by "Maonan" after the Song and Yuan Dynasties. The name "Maonan" appeared formally in the inscriptions during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, but it only appeared as a place name and an administrative unit, and gradually evolved into a national name. After the founding of New China, according to the wishes of the nation, it was officially named Maonan. The Maonan ethnic group in Guangxi mainly lives in the Huanjiang Maonan ethnic autonomous county.

Maonan doctors are also skilled in preparation of herbal medicines. The Maonan herbal doctors not only diagnose diseases, but also collect herbs themselves. Herbs are commonly used separately, usually in fresh. The herbs are commonly decocted in water and taken matching with food, or smashed for external application in fresh, or processed with wine, or used for bathing. In Maonan area, there are small-scale herb market transactions on market days, to facilitate the exchange of herbal medicines among the local people. In the daily use of herbs, medical therapy and dietary therapy are often combined into one, which truly reflects the homology of medicine and food.

Medicine customs for the Dragon Boat Festival

The Maonan nationality has the custom of looking for herbal medicine on the Dragon Boat Day, which is called the "herb festival". On the same day, men clime up mountains to find herbs such as mugwort, yellow ginger, Chinese fever vine, and Acorus calamus , while women make glutinous rice cakes at home. During making the glutinous rice cakes, local rice and Chinese fever vine are ground, and cooked in a pot. The glutinous rice cakes have a flavor when being eaten and can prevent disease. Picked herbs can be boiled in water to bath children, so as to prevent various skin diseases. Various households also pick maple branches and insert them on the gates to expel all kinds of evil wind［8］.

Relationship between wine culture and traditional herbal medicine culture

The Maonan people also like to make a variety of fruit wine and medicinal wine to strengthen their body. Maonan doctors also believe that wine has the effects of promoting blood circulation, promoting bone growth, reducing swelling and removing blood stasis, and can be used for bruises, fractures, various lumps, etc. Drinking wine in moderation on usual days can activate collaterals, eliminate rheumatism, and refresh mental activity［8］.

Traditional herbal medicine culture of the Hui nationality

Since the Song Dynasty, the Hui nationality has moved to Guangxi one after another. The ancestors of the Liuzhou Muslims were the Muslims who moved from Hebei, Shandong, Shaanxi, Henan, Jiangsu, Hunan, Yunnan, Guangdong and other provinces. The Hui people of Guangxi are mainly distributed in Nanning, Guilin, Liuzhou and other regions.

The Hui medicine not only has the characteristics of Arabic Islamic medicine culture, but also develops in the traditional Chinese medicine culture. It promotes the integration and development of Chinese medicine and Hui medicine in the process of absorbing and drawing lessons from the Chinese medicine culture. In the daily life, diet and health care of the Hui people, they often use fragrant herbal cosmetics, smoked clothing and prepared foods to strengthen their bodies, eliminate evil, keep things fresh, and purify their homes.

Traditional herbal medicine culture of the Jing nationality

The Jing nationality was originally called the Yue nationality, and in 1958, it was renamed the Jing nationality. Since the Ming Dynasty, Guangxi Jing people moved in from Tushan, Vietnam, and settled in Fangchenggang City. The Jing nationality is one of the least populous ethnic minorities in southern China, mainly distributed in Wanwei, Shanxin, Wutou and other islands in Fangchenggang City.

The Jing nationality is the only marine nation in China. The Jing people swim to strengthen the body, and bath in salt water which has the effects of diminishing inflammation and disinfecting, removing slough and promoting growth of tissue regeneration, and relieving itching. The three islands of the Jing nationality are located in the subtropical area, and the special island environment has created a unique set of methods for the diagnosis and treatment of Jing medicine in turtle poisoning, poisonous fish stings, jellyfish burns, colds, stomach pain, acute gastroenteritis, rheumatism, etc. Due to the difficulty of going out for medical treatment, the Jing people have formed a simple and convenient diagnosis and treatment method characterized by the use of local materials and obvious curative effect. The main therapies are: moxa moxibustion, external application and external washing, diet therapy, body baking method, droplet method, hot compress method, sleeping pad method, etc. The Jing people like to use fresh medicinal materials, are good at using coastal plants and marine organisms as medicine and pays attention to diet therapy, and the Jing medicine has the medication features of diversified medicines, simple preparation and use of antidote, etc. ［9］.

Traditional herbal medicine culture of the Yi nationality

The Yi nationality is originated from a part of the Diqiang ethnic group in northwest China in ancient times, and it is one of the ethnic groups with a large population among the Chinese ethnic minorities. The Yi people call themselves "Nuopu", "Luoluopu", etc. After the founding of New China, they were collectively called the Yi nationality in 1964 according to their will. The Yi people of Guangxi moved in from Yunnan and other places during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty. They first lived in Baise and Lingyun areas, and then moved to De餰, Yanrong, Kechang, Zhelang, and Chengxiang, Xiahua and Baidu of Napo County and other places.

The ancient Yi people餾 traditional herbal medicine culture has such three diagnostic methods as looking, smelling and touching , and includes more than ten treatment methods and measures such as internal treatment and external wrapping, external application, steaming, firing, bathing, cutting, acupuncture, bloodletting, massage and cupping, which can be applied flexibly, and can be applied in combination for one diseases. Most of the Yi people live in mountainous areas where there are rich botanical medicine resources, and use herbal medicines mainly in medication.

Yi wine: The Yi people have a long history of using wine in medicine. As early as 43 AD, the Yi people had brewed poisoned wine and used it for war. The Yi wine is made from cereals and distillers yeast, and it tastes bitter, sweet, pungent, and is hot in nature. It has the effects of dispersing cold stagnation, removing stasis, activating collaterals, promoting blood circulation, digesting diet, nourishing skin and warming the spleen and stomach. It can be used for treating joint pain, limb pain, cold body, weak legs and feet, unfavorable actions, abdominal pain and crymodynia. Pregnant women in the Yi mountain villages must eat sweet white wine-boiled eggs after giving birth［10］.

Traditional Herbal Medicine Culture of the Shui nationality

The Shui people call themselves "sui", and the Han people call them "shui", which was first seen in the term "Shuiqu" recorded in " Song History·Xinan Zhuyi Zhuan ". "Sui" means "Shutong Shunli" and "Bizi". The origin of the Shui ethnic group is the indigenous people of Lingnan, which was developed from a group of Baiyue people in ancient China. It was once collectively referred to as "Baiyue", "Liao", "Man", "Miao", etc. , and it was not distinguished until the middle of the Qing Dynasty and called "Shuijia Miao" and "Shuijia". After the founding of New China, it was called the Shui nationality in 1956［11］. By the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, the number of Shui people who moved to Guangxi increased. The Shui people in Guangxi are mainly distributed in counties and cities such as Nandan, Huanjiang, Du餫n, Yishan, Laibin and Hechi.

In addition to the method of looking, smelling, asking, touching, and mainly consulting, the traditional treatment methods of the traditional herbal medicine culture in the Shui nationality are treated with the rich Shui herbal medicines for internal use, external rubbing, external application, medical bath, medicine hanging, medicine wearing, medicine pads, medicine iron, medicine moxibustion, etc. There are also many special prescriptions in the aspects of venomous snake injuries, rheumatic paralysis, stab wounds and contraception and sterilization.

The traditional herbal medicine culture of the Shui ethnic group is characterized by the combination of medical and medicine. Most of the medicines are collected locally, and the herbs are collected, processed, arranged and dispensed personally. Therefore, the Shui people often have the custom of planting herbs. After a long period of medical practice, the Shui medicine divides the medicines into cold medicines for diminishing swelling, reducing inflammation and detoxification, the exterior syndrome medicines for treating acne disease, warming medicine for expelling cold and invigorating the circulation of blood, and Da medicines for treating bites, bruises and injuries caused by poisonous snakes and for abortion, etc. The Shui doctors often guide medication according to restriction between animals. For instance, cats catch mice, so cat bones are used to treat rat sores ( i.e. , scrofula) together with other medicines; and centipedes are afraid of roosters, so saliva of roosters is used to treat centipedes.

Traditional herbal medicine culture of the Gelao nationality

The Gelao people call themselves "Tuli" and "Yake", and their ancestors are ancient Liao people. In the Tang and Song history books, there are such terms as "Gelao", "Geliao", etc. , which are collectively called "Liao". After the founding of New China, they are called the Gelao nationality in 1953. The Gelao people of Guangxi migrated from Guizhou only during the Yongzheng period of Qing Dynasty. They are the least populous among the ethnic minorities in Guangxi, mainly distributed in De餰, Shechang, and other townships in Longlin Autonomous County.

Gelao folk treatment methods are mainly based on local conditions, and local materials which are used in fresh or raw, rarely processed. Medication is carried out according to experience based on patients餾 age, physique, male and female differences［12］.

Traditional herbal medicine culture of the Mulao nationality

The Mulao people claim to be "Leng" or "Jin", and are also called "Bujin". Their ancestors are originated from the ancient Baiyue ethnic group in southern China, and are closely related to the Zhuang and Dong ethnic groups. They are one of the indigenous peoples of Guangxi and mainly live in Luocheng Mulao Autonomous County.

The basic theory of the traditional herbal medicine culture of the Mulao nationality is "yinian, lingqi, and hetiao". "lingqi" is hidden in the head and dominates the body餾 activities. If the "lingqi" of the body and the organs is harmony, the person will be healthy, otherwise the person will be sick. Grasses are herbs with "lingqi" which can be used to supplement the body to restore health. The Mulao areas are easily attacked by "zhangqi, duxieqi, dishi, wulu", which often cause diseases. Therefore, the Mulao doctors have a unique understanding of wind, dampness, cold, heat, poison and other diseases, which can be summarized as 72 kinds of wind disease and 36 kinds of sha diseases. There are more than 26 therapies of the Mulao medicine including mediated thread moxibustion treatment for internal and external and mixed hemorrhoids, moxibustion, massage, egg rolling massage, medicine rubbing to reduce fever, pinching, scraping, cupping, medicine fumigation, emetic, bathing, foot bath, medicated wine, medicated oil, medicated acupoint application, medicated topical application, blowing medicine and wearing medicine［13］.

The Importance and Necessity of Developing Traditional Herbal Medicine Culture of Guangxi Minority Nationalities

The development of traditional herbal medicine culture of Guangxi ethnic minorities is the need for the development of Guangxi ethnic medicine, the need to enhance the research and development and industrial development of Guangxi ethnic medicine, and the need for the development of Guangxi ethnic medicine itself. The development of Guangxi ethnic minority medicine culture is the need to serve the national ASEAN strategy and strengthen China-ASEAN traditional medicine cooperation, the need to improve the research and development level of traditional Chinese medicine and other ethnic medicines, and the need to serve the local economy and promote Guangxi餾 100 billion yuan industrial development.

Conclusions

After decades of efforts, there are more than 10 minority medical institutions in Guangxi, including Zhuang Medical College and Yao Medical College of Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Guangxi Institute of Ethnic Medicine, Guangxi Zhuang Medicine Hospital and National Medical Research Center of Guangxi University for Nationalities, initially forming a theoretical system and an academic system of Zhuang and Yao Medicine. In 2008, with the approval of the Ministry of Health and the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangxi has already started the qualification examination for licensed doctors in Zhuang medicine. The first and second volumes of the "Zhuang Medicine Quality Standard of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region" were also officially issued and implemented by the People餾 Government of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in 2008 and 2011 in Nanning, the capital of the Zhuang Township. According to the Zhuang medicine theory and based on its prescriptions and secret formulas, there are Chinese patent medicines such as Bainianle, Jigucao Pills, Fuxuekang, Zhenggushui and Sanjin Tablets. Others, such as Nervilia fordii, Maytenus guangxiensis, Hedyotis diffusa and Gelsemium elegans with anti-cancer effect, vine tea and Gymnema sylvestre with hypoglycemic effect, Viburnum fordiae with liver-protecting effect, Abrus mollis for the treatment of stomach diseases, Ardisia japonica and Berchemia lineata used for tuberculosis, Pteris multifida for red and white diarrhea, and Saussurea acroptila, Ficus concinna, Schefflera arboricola and Sambucus chinensis for fractures, are all strong medicines with definite curative effects, which need to be further excavated and developed.

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Editor: Yingzhi GUANGProofreader: Xinxiu ZHU