(HBO) – Le Thi Luong, a retired teacher in Ha Son hamlet, Tu Son commune, Kim Boi district, northern Hoa Binh province, has been well known in the region for her ability to treat tumors. She is a member of the traditional medicine associations of Kim Boi district and Tu Son commune. Luong has also been licensed by the Hoa Binh traditional medicine association.

Luong has known how to practise traditional medicine accidently. She said: "More than ten years ago when I was a teacher in Thu Phong commune pre-school in Cao Phong district, I suffered from an egg-sized thyroid goiter for many years. I went to central and provincial hospitals for goiter treatment. Doctors asked me to take modern medicines as surgical treatment of the lingering goiter could cause complications. I lost weight and got pale skin after half-year treatment in the hospital. Modern drugs failed to treat the goiter but resulted in weakened liver and kidney. A villager suggested me take medicines prescribed by an elderly, which helped remove the goiter after several recipes. 

Experiencing pains caused by the goiter, Luong decided learn from the old person’s the goiter treatment method. She carefully took note of all the lessons, from medicine clarification to processing and prescription. After school time, she sought for herbals on mountains. With her passion for learning, Luong can prescribe medicines herself two years later. Apart from tumors, she now can treat diseases relating to liver, kidney, stomach, osteoarthritis, diabetes and hyperlipidemia. Luong said the recipes for the diseases include rare plants in the forest and others that can be found easily. All of them are then dried and prescribed for the patients, with the amount depending on the seriousness of the diseases. The best time to pick herbals is the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Luong’s 360-ha garden is now covered with the rare herbals that were brought from the forest. 

60-year-old Dinh Thi Chat from Thuong Bi commune, Kim Boi district, has suffered from a thyroid goiter for tens of years, which has affected her daily activities. After taking medicines prescribed by Luong for nearly one month, Chat escaped from the goiter. 

Luong’s patients are not only locals but also people from other cities and provinces. For example, Tran Quoc Hung, from Dong Minh commune, Tien Hai district, northern Thai Binh province, got thyroid goiters that she described as a "clutch of eggs”. After using Luong’s medicines, the egg clutch completely disappeared. More and more patients from other cities and provinces like Hai Phong, Hai Duong and Bac Giang came to her for disease treatment. 

Luong has still kept a thank-you letter of Nguyen Thi Thu, an official of Bien Hoa city People’s Procuracy in southern Dong Nai province. After reading positive feedbacks on Luong’s magical tumor treatment online, Thu bought Luong’s medicines to treat her thyroid gland which was about to turn into cancer. With just hundreds of thousands of Vietnam dong which was sent to Luong via the post office, Thu’s thyroid gland disappeared after two months. 

Luong has provided treatment for thousands of people, with more than 70 people since the beginning of this year. She has not received treatment fees of many patients in difficult circumstances. She said "traditional medicines are safe as they can reduce poisons and have no side effects. Made from herbals available in the nature, such medicines are also not costly. I just have to go out to find them.”

"Luong’s traditional medicine” has become a trustworthy address of people in and outside Hoa Binh province. Luong said a nice heart is the most important to a physician and that "to save one person’s life is better than building a seven-storey pagoda.”/.