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In praise of Bang Tang Ngu
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(Photo taken in my bathroom at home)
My life wouldn’t be the same without this stuff. The label is written in English and says: “Snake Brand PRICKLY HEAT Powder“. It’s available in a few varieties (ie. Classic, Herbal, Lavender, etc).
If you don’t know what Prickly Heat is, it’s a mild to severe rash that forms on your skin in hot climates. It will generally occur when you get a lot of moisture (think about perspiration here) and friction (think underarms, upper thighs). The rash is generally itchy in it’s mild form, and painful when it becomes more severe. (If you want to read the Wikipedia explanation click here)
As a guy who is overweight and loves to walk, I quickly developed a rash between my legs on my first-ever visit to Bangkok in 2005. Not the sexually transmitted variety of rash… I developed Prickly Heat.
I confided in my good friend Noi, a Thai girl I knew who lived in Bangkok. She took me to the shop and showed me stacks and stacks of cans like the ones you see in the photo above. She told me that this would cure my problem.
I was skeptical. It looked so old-fashioned, like Doctor Martin’s Snake Oil to cure all manner of ailments. I made it clear to her that I doubted a 10-baht can of powder was likely to do any good. Being an intelligent girl, she asked if it was worth 10 baht to find out.
I bought the powder, went home and showered, then applied the powder to the rash. I repeated this just before going to sleep. When I woke up in the morning the rash was gone! Like magic.
It seemed like every time I went walking in the Bangkok heat I got a rash. Each time I applied the powder and the rash disappeared. Finally I started applying the powder to the inside of my thighs after each shower before I went walking, as a preventative measure. The rashes stopped appearing.
My brother-in-law (my sister’s husband’s brother) lived in Thailand for three years, returning to the US long before I ever arrived in Bangkok. Nearly two years ago my sister sent me an email saying that it was a very hot summer in the US, and bro-in-law (who is truly fat) was suffering with heat rash. He had asked my sister to check Chinatown to see if she could find any of this powder, which he said he thought was made in Thailand. She wrote to me to see if I knew anything about it.
Before I replied to her email I went to the shop and bought 4 cans of it, which I mailed to her immediately. Then I sent the email to tell her it would be there in three days. My brother in law was immensely grateful. When I went to the US for Christmas a few months later, I took four large cans with me as his Christmas present.
For the last couple of years, heat rash has been almost a thing of the past for me. I put a dash of powder on in the morning, and if any rash does start to develop, I use the powder after my shower and before I sleep and the magic healing is done before I wake up.
Whoever invented this stuff is my hero… I hope he’s a multi-millionaire. I can’t, just at this moment, think of any consumer product that is greater than this stuff.
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Prickly heat (miliaria rubra), also known as heat rash, is a rash of small red bumps caused by blockage of the sweat glands. It can be due to high fever, excessive sweating, or being over-bundled. It is seen commonly in hot, humid tropical climates. It can cause discomfort, itching, and, sometimes, stinging or “prickly”-type pain.
Photo and overview from the Visual DX Health Website.
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When my crazy ex-girlfriend was still living with me, she used to refer to the stuff as Bang Tang Ngu. I’m certain about the first and last word, though the word tang might be wrong. Bang means powder. Ngu means Snake. So she was simply calling it Snake Brand Powder.
The reason that Bang Tang Ngu is on my mind this week is due to Songkran. On Sunday and Monday this week I went out to play Songkran and take photos. I got soaking wet, and walked around for hours in the Bangkok heat. I developed rashes, not between my legs, but on my butt and hips — basically where my bikini underwear was soaking wet and rubbing against my skin for hours.
By Monday night I was scratching furiously trying to stop the itch. Finally it occurred to me that I could do something about it. I applied the Prickly Heat Powder liberally several times on Monday night and again on Tuesday morning. The rash disappeared.
April and May are the peak of the hot season in Bangkok. Anyone can get heat rashes, but people like me who are overweight are especially prone to them. If you are here in Thailand and heat rash (or Prickly Heat) becomes a problem for you, the cure is available at any convenience store, pharmacy or grocery store in a little square can for just a few baht.
In spite of what Wikipedia says about a lack of proven treatments for heat rash, I am happy to personally attest to the effectiveness of this powder, and I know many other people who feel the same way I do. It’s prevalence on the shelves of shops all around Thailand tells me that millions of people use it here.
It’s probably the cheapest miracle drug in the world.
Don’t suffer. Use Bang Tang Ngu.
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