70 per cent of Sri Lankans are shifting to indigenous medicine

While western medicine is one of the most sought after treatment for people around the world, 70 per cent of Sri Lankans are moving into indigenous medicine such as Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and traditional medicine.

This was stated at a media briefing to announce the 4th International Conference on Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Traditional Medicine 2016 that was held at the Institute of Indigenous Medicine, University of Colombo in Rajagiriya last week.

The 3-day conference was held from 8-10 December at the BMICH in Colombo and at the institute in Rajagiriya. Around 350 participants including delegates from countries like India, Malaysia, Japan, Nepal and Tibet took part in the conference

It was also mentioned that there is high demand for Ayurveda among tourists who visit Sri Lanka where most of the hotels also promote the medicine among the tourists.

Some of the topics that were discussed at the conference were advance literature review on Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and traditional medicine, clinical and experimental research for the management of communicable and non-communicable diseases, development of natural products including herbal cosmetics and neutroceuticals. Also discussions were held on pharmacognosy (described as “the branch of knowledge concerned with medicinal drugs obtained from plants or other natural sources”), pharmacovigilance (seen as the practice of monitoring the effects of medical drugs after they have been licensed for use), and phytochemistry (which deals with the branch of chemistry concerned with plants and plant products), research ethics in traditional medicine, patents and intellectual property rights in herbal medicine.

Guidelines on quality assurance, quality control and marketing of herbal products, studies on astrology and non-pharmacological measures, cultivation, organic farming, conservation and propagation of medicinal plants, sports medicine, yoga and naturopathy and traditional cuisine were also discussed at the conference.

The conference provided an overview on the approach to health including practical strategies for incorporating evidence based modalities into clinical practice. Also it provided an overview on using practices to prevent illnesses, recommendations for management of specific conditions and tools to evaluate the latest related research findings.

The aim of the conference was to provide a platform for discussion among eminent researchers, academicians, physicians, traditional and medical practitioners, manufacturers and exporters of Ayurveda and herbal products, members of the corporate and agriculture sector and stakeholders from all around the world. (RM)