In most cultures, people plant gardens for food, for art-pleasure-look or for medicine. I've come to really enjoy and appreciate that in Asia, people specifically plant certain parts of the house and garden to appease the spirits, to bring good fortune and to encourage luck & prosperity. You see it in the Zen gardens of Japan, the formal gardens in Vietnam and the elaborate ceremonial gardens & courtyards of Korea and China.
In Thai, Feng Shui is called ฮวงจุ้ย, which we pronounce, Hwong Juey. And it's the art of preventative natural medicine for the space you live and work in.
This week have been pondering ฮวงจุ้ย because I dreamed about a particular flower: Dok Mohk.
I snapped this picture on the way to yoga class at Amaravati Wellness Center - or Amaravati Ashram as many local people still prefer to call it. The bug caught my eye. A few days later I dreamed about planting this in pots for the area around our tiled front porch area, which I always feel is too public and somehow needs some kind of shielding, energy protection and a whole lot more green.
Thai people traditionally plant Dok Mohk along driveways and paths, and along the fronts of homes, resorts, spas and businesses. It has the most heavenly fragrance - somewhere between frangipani, jasmine and honeysuckle. On a hot day it has little fragrance, but after rain or in the tropical evenings it is unbelievably heady, sultry and strong. Sensual.
Curious about my dream and the why of it, I did a little research.
Its botanical names is Wrightia religiosa, and it is considered sacred to the Buddha in Thailand. In Thai the colloquial name Dok Mohk (Moke) is also interchanged with Dok Buddha Raksaa. What exactly does that mean? It means to lay everything in the lap of the Buddha.
Dok Mohk planted along entranceways to buildings and properties is believed to usher in peace.
As soon as I read that, I understood my dream. I need to make the effort to plant, contain, propagate and nourish those things in my life which usher in peace.
Funnily enough, they DO grow very well in tubs and containers, according to the Thai nursery guy I asked today. They grow to around 2 meters tall and make lovely screening plants.
And they are generous with their tiny, dainty flowers which you SMELL long before you see them.
Does it have medicinal value beyond ushering in peace (as if that wasn't all the medicine any of us ever need)? Actually yes. It's roots and bark are used in Ayurveda to treat skin diseases.
But I found one other really interesting clinical study which actually supports Dok Mohk as a peace-energy-environmental guardian. Wrightia religiosa carries certain bacteria collectively called phyllosphere bacteria, and these bacteria have been found to assist in the removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), the major air pollutants in urban areas.
The results indicated that phyllosphere bacteria on unsterilized leaves were able to enhance the activity of leaves for phenanthrene removal. When compared between plant species, phenanthrene removal efficiency corresponded to the size of phenanthrene-degrading bacteria. In addition, phyllosphere bacteria on Wrightia religiosa were able to reduce other PAHs such as acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, and fluorine in 60-ml glass vials and in a 14-l glass chamber. Thus, phyllosphere bacteria on ornamental plants may play an important role in natural attenuation of airborne PAHs in urban areas. Source.
I do so LOVE IT when science eventually starts to catch up to what folklore, intuitive wisdom and tradition have KNOWN for millennia.
And so, if you are living in a tropical or sub-tropical area, Dok Mohk is not only a Plant-Being Guardian Spirit, but a practical helper to improve air quality in and around your home.
I'm enjoying the idea of buying some nice ceramic tubs and planting Dok Mohk when our income recovers in the coming months. Meanwhile, I shall ponder the planting of more peace in my life, and creating more protective energy around me.
Loving the integration of science, Buddhism, folklore and Thai tradition, and the fact that my dreams lead me on such wonderful explorations.
BlissednBlessed.
All images used in my posts are created and owned by myself, unless specifically sourced. If you wish to use my images or my content, please contact me.
Come check out my natural Thai herbal business… yes, we ship world-wide
Visit our online store here
Join The Best Natural Health Community on Hive
