Development of Innovative herbal steam cabinets for Thai traditional medicine

Abstract

The research introduces the development of innovative herbal steam cabinets designed for Thai traditional medicine. The primary objective is to investigate the requirements of herbal steam patterns, leading to the creation of an efficient herbal steam cabinet specifically tailored to Thai traditional medicine practices. The research findings reveal three distinct patterns for the herbal steam cabinet. In the first pattern, participants undergo herbal steam three times for 10 minutes each, interspersed with two breaks where they sit and rest for 3 minutes each, resulting in a total duration of 36 minutes. The second pattern involves two sessions of herbal steam lasting 15 minutes each, followed by a 15-minute break for sitting and resting, also totaling 36 minutes. The third pattern varies based on the doctor's diagnosis, with herbal steam lasting for 20 minutes. Consistently across all patterns, the herbal steam is maintained at a temperature range of 42-45 °C. The herbal steam cabinet, constructed from natural pine wood and adhering to the dimensions of 120 cm width, 120 cm length, and 200 cm height in accordance with Ministry of Public Health standards, effectively accommodates all three patterns. Efficiency tests of the herbal steam cabinet highlight distinct temperature variations among the patterns. Pattern 1 exhibits the highest average temperature of 43.95 °C and the lowest average temperature of 41.74 °C. Pattern 2, on the other hand, records the highest average temperature of 43.96 °C and the lowest average temperature of 40.58 °C. Lastly, Pattern 3 demonstrates the highest average temperature of 42.93 °C and the lowest average temperature of 42.28 °C, respectively.