#ChaemThai

Across rural Thailand, Cha-em Thai (Albizia myriophylla Benth.) remains a familiar healer in homes and villages. Locally known as ชะเอมป่า, ตาลอ้อย, ส้มป่อยหวาน, and อ้อยช้าง, this climbing legume has long served in simple home remedies. As interest in ethnomedicine grows, researchers are revisiting Cha-em Thai to see how traditional knowledge aligns with modern science and how the plant can be used safely today.

Traditionally, Cha-em Thai appears both as a standalone remedy and as a key ingredient in classic polyherbal blends known in Thai medicine as the ten roots. Decoctions from the wood, bark, or stems have addressed fever, sore throat, mouth ulcers, and general inflammation. The plant’s wide distribution—from northern to southern Thailand—reflects regionally diverse healing practices, where local names and preparations vary and enrich the country’s medical heritage. In Thai households, Cha-em Thai supports convalescence and digestion, and is often combined with other herbs to bolster wellbeing.

Across rural Thailand, Cha-em Thai – known to botanists as Albizia myriophylla Benth. – occupies a unique place in the landscape and in traditional healthcare. Locally called by many names like ชะเอมป่า (Central Thailand), ตาลอ้อย (Trat), ส้มป่อยหวาน (Northern Thailand), or อ้อยช้าง (Songkhla and Narathiwat), this woody climbing plant from the Fabaceae family has been utilized for generations as a key ingredient in home remedies for a range of ailments. As wellness-seekers look back to the roots of ethnomedicine, interest in Cha-em Thai is blossoming anew. But does modern research support its venerated role in Thai healing tradition? And how can this ancient botanical be used safely today?