cây thuốc
Definition
- Noun:
- Medicinal plant: A plant, or a part of a plant (such as roots, leaves, bark, or flowers), that is used for its therapeutic properties to treat illnesses, alleviate symptoms, or maintain health.
- Specific medicinal herb: Often refers to a known, specific herb or plant used in traditional or folk medicine.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Ông tôi thường vào rừng tìm các loại cây thuốc. (My grandfather often goes into the forest to find medicinal plants.)
- Lá cây thuốc này có thể dùng để hạ sốt. (The leaves of this medicinal plant can be used to reduce fever.)
- Trong vườn nhà bà có trồng nhiều cây thuốc nam. (Grandmother grows many Southern Vietnamese medicinal herbs in her garden.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is foundational in contexts like traditional medicine (y học cổ truyền), herbalism, and ethnobotany.
- It can be part of compound terms specifying the type of medicine, such as cây thuốc nam (Southern Vietnamese traditional medicinal plants) vs. cây thuốc bắc (Northern / Chinese medicinal herbs).
Variants and Related Words
- Dược liệu (n): Medicinal material; a broader term that includes plant-based, animal-based, and mineral substances used for medicine.
- Thảo dược (n): Herbs; herbal medicine; often used interchangeably with but can imply a focus on leafy parts.
- Vườn thuốc (n): Medicinal plant garden.
Synonyms
- Medicinal herb
- Healing plant
- Medicinal plant
Related Idioms and Phrases
- "Biết tuốt như thầy thuốc biết cây thuốc": An idiom meaning "to know everything," literally "to know all things like a physician knows medicinal plants." It highlights the vast knowledge expected of a traditional healer.
- "Cây nhà lá vườn": While not exclusively about medicine, this phrase ("homegrown plants") is often used to describe simple, locally sourced medicinal herbs or home remedies.