#EndangeredPlants

Across Thailand’s diverse natural landscapes, the climbing lily known as ดองดึง (Gloriosa superba L.) has captured the imagination of traditional healers and villagers for generations. With its striking flame-like petals and many regional nicknames—such as คมขวาน, ว่านก้ามปู, and มะขาโก้ง—ดองดึง holds a storied place in the country’s folk medicine repertoire. Yet, as with many powerful natural remedies, this plant’s story is one of both healing and hazard: a tale where ancient wisdom intersects with contemporary science, underscoring the need for respect, caution, and deeper understanding.

Long revered in sacred temples and in homes across Asia, the herbal medicine known as โกฐชฎามังสี, or “spikenard,” continues to spark curiosity among both traditional healers and modern scientists. Known scientifically as Nardostachys grandiflora DC. and often referred to by its synonym Nardostachys jatamansi, spikenard stands at the intersection of centuries-old wisdom and contemporary pharmacological research. Buried deep within Thai traditional medicine and world pharmacopoeias, its story is one of healing, ritual, and the ever-evolving quest to understand nature’s remedies in today’s world.