BALM, LINIMENT, MEDICINE
Many balm and ointment brands are soughtafter products by Chinese tourists, sold at pharmacies located at tourist markets from Chatuchak to the Asiatique. For some of these businesses, selling these “souvenirs” can be more profitable than selling actual drugs for treatment.
“Sometimes one Chinese or Hong Kong customer spends over 10,000 baht on balms and medicine,” said Thanit Sermlekavilat, owner of Sappaya, a pharmacy at the Asiatique. “And many times they spend thousands of baht on these products. For the Chinese, buying medicine as souvenirs for family members is a tradition. They also believe that Thai medicine is of higher quality than Chinese medicine.”
Mr Thanit adds that Chinese travel bloggers like to write about Thai balms and medicines on their websites, providing tips on where to buy them in Bangkok.
“This helps promote the products. Many tourists follow this online advice,” he said.
The Thai balm brands topping the list of Chinese purchases are Wang Prom, Golden Cup and Monkey (the last one has an iconic image of a monkey holding a peach on it). Salet Pangpong is another popular green balm made of barleria plant.
Although it comes from Singapore, Tiger balm is a popular souvenir purchased in Thailand.
Then you have nasal inhalers and liniments. Brands like Poy-Sian, Siang Pure Ew (known as Siang Pure Oil to the rest of the world) and Peppermint Field are the top products. Poy-Sian is a 33-year-old brand that has recently enjoyed a resurgence in popularity. Siang Pure, which also produces Peppermint Field, belongs to a Thai-Chinese family that has been running the business for over 60 years now.
East Asian tourists also like herbal powder and tablets, or yaa hom and ya luk klon. The old-school brands seen as most fashionable
among visitors include Five Millepedes ( yaa hom takab ha tua), Five Pagodas ( yaa hom ha chedi) and Lee Buan Suan, with its iconic logo of a Chinese fisherman on a boat. Many Thais have a respect for traditional Chinese medicine, and judging by tourists’ purchases, the appreciation seems to be mutual.