Some of them believe that the diseases will go away as easily as they come, and so they never treat their illnesses, and some do not have enough money to pay a doctor. Table 1 shows the amounts of money spent annually on health care. For example, the father worshipped his ancestors by offering them food in order to cure his son's illness. They believe that someone in the family may have done something to offend the ancestor spirit. The effectiveness of these medicines, as reported by the villagers, varies from poor to good, but their pharmacological activity has not been investigated.
Villagers usually obtain information about traditional medicines from their relatives and friends.
The information may be incomplete or misleading. The four medicinal plants most commonly used are from the mangrove forest. Two other medicinal plants are used by Ko Lao villagers. All these plants can be used in either fresh or dried form. The whole plant is boiled in fresh water, and the patient drinks the solution instead of water, half a glass at a time, until the signs and symptoms disappear.