title: Expert system for skin problem consultation in Thai traditional medicine.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This paper aimed to demonstrate the research and development of a rule-based expert system for skin problem consulting in the areas of acne, melasma, freckle, wrinkle, and uneven skin tone, with recommended treatments from Thai traditional medicine knowledge.
  
  
  METHODS
  The tool selected for developing the expert system is a software program written in the PHP language. MySQL database is used to work together with PHP for building database of the expert system. The system is web-based and can be reached from anywhere with Internet access.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The developed expert system gave recommendations on the skin problem treatment with Thai herbal recipes and Thai herbal cosmetics based on 416 rules derived from primary and secondary sources. The system had been tested by 50 users consisting of dermatologists, Thai traditional medicine doctors, and general users. The developed system was considered good for learning and consultation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present work showed how such a scattered body of traditional knowledge as Thai traditional medicine and herbal recipes could be collected, organised and made accessible to users and interested parties. The expert system developed herein should contribute in a meaningful way towards preserving the knowledge and helping promote the use of Thai traditional medicine as a practical alternative medicine for the treatment of illnesses.
authors.affiliation: Shinawatra University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand.
authors.forename: Pornchai
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nopparatkiat
authors.affiliation: Shinawatra University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand.
authors.forename: Byaporn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: na Nagara
authors.affiliation: Suvarnabhumi Institute of Technology, Samut Prakan 10540, Thailand.
authors.forename: Chuvej
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chansa-ngavej
mesh_terms: D003358:Cosmetics; D016208:Databases, Factual; D003880:Dermatology / Q000379:methods*; D005103:Expert Systems; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008518:Medicine, East Asian Traditional; D008517:Phytotherapy; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D012984:Software; D013785:Thailand
chemical_list: D003358:Cosmetics; D028321:Plant Preparations
keywords: Knowledge inference; Knowledge representation; Rule-based expert system; Thai herbal recipes; Thai traditional medicine; User interface