It was developed during the 1870s in Rangoon, Burma, by herbalist Aw Chu Kin, son of a humble Hakka herbalist in China, Aw Leng Fan. His father had sent him to Rangoon in the 1860s to help in his uncle's herbal shop. Eventually, Aw Chu Kin himself set up a family business named Eng Aun Tong meaning "Hall of Everlasting Peace". On his deathbed in 1908,he asked his sons Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par to perfect the product. By the 1920s, the sons had made it a very successful business empire in Burma with its runaway success, the Tiger Balm medicinal ointment.[1]
Named after Aw Boon Haw whose name means "Gentle Tiger", Tiger Balm is an herbal formulation for external pain relief. Tiger Balm is available in several varieties, the "cold" Tiger Balm White (recommended for use with headaches) and the "hot" Tiger Balm Red. Another version is called Tiger Balm Ultra.