Bhojane Mattaññutā: Developing a Buddhist Integrated Conceptual Framework for Nutritional Practice in Thai Traditional Medicine

Abstract

This article presents the development and reinterpretation of the concept of Bhojanamattannuta (moderation in consumption) from a Buddhist ethical principle into a clinical framework for guiding nutritional therapy in Thai Traditional Medicine (TTM) practice. The study is grounded in the recognition that diet plays a crucial role in physiological processes, metabolism, and chronic low-grade inflammation associated with non-communicable diseases. At the same time, standardized “one-size-fits-all” dietary approaches remain limited in practical application. In TTM, although food is considered a key determinant of elemental balance and the tri-dosha system, dietary recommendations are often based on prescriptive rules lacking a systematic framework to define “optimal moderation” in a clinically verifiable manner. This study employs a documentary analysis and synthesis of primary sources from the Pali Canon, Buddhist scholarly works, and TTM clinical knowledge, integrated with contemporary personalized medicine concepts. It proposes that Bhojanamattannuta should be elevated as a “clinical regulatory principle” functioning as a meta-clinical framework that supports flexible and rational clinical judgment. The framework aims to identify “individualized optimal moderation” through four evaluative dimensions: (1) elemental pathology and tri-dosha imbalance, (2) digestive capacity and metabolic strength, (3) differentiation between true physiological hunger and hedonic desire, and (4) the relationship between diet and disease progression. In addition, a four-dimensional decision-making model for nutritional therapy is proposed, encompassing food quantity, qualitative properties (taste and characteristics), timing of consumption, and lifestyle integration. This enables dietary recommendations to be realistically implemented within patients lived contexts. In conclusion, reinterpreting Bhojanamattannuta as a clinical framework bridges Buddhist principles with TTM clinical reasoning and modern personalized healthcare, reducing the limitations of generalized dietary advice while enhancing precision, flexibility, and sustainability in nutritional therapy.