The investigation focused on compiling local wisdom of the Mien ethnic group in Phayao, Chiang Rai and Lampang Provinces in order to promote and revitalize the values and roles of herbal and spiritual health specialists and to publicize their honors and knowledge as well as to empower their networks. In the past, their traditional ethnic health system was applied whenever sickness occurred. The practices included massages, medicinal herbs, recitation of mantras, and other rituals. Some could be done by ordinary villagers while others were dependent on specialists, such as herbalists or shamans. Healthcare of the ethnic group has been related to practices of, respect and adherence to their animistic beliefs, e.g. appeasing their ancestors’ spirits and asking them to provide protection to family members. There were beliefs in four types of causes of sickness. Firstly, the sickness was caused by supernatural powers; by the soul temporarily leaving the body, by deterioration of health, and, finally, by accident respectively. Folk healers were categorized into two groups: physical healers using massages and medicinal herbs and spiritual healers including mediums and shamans. Diagnoses were of two kinds: for a plain clear physical ailment caused by bad healthcare, diseases, or accidents and for a spiritual ailment caused by supernatural powers, which must be healed by conducting animistic rituals. Transmission of this knowledge was carried out both formally and informally. Folk healers had their own taboos and practices, which must be strictly observed and rituals were usually performed alongside them.