Falling Back on Traditional Medicine
The preliminary findings from the WHO Global Survey on Traditional Medicine 2023 indicate that around 100 countries have traditional, complementary and integrative medicine (TCIM) related national policies and strategies. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 170 countries of 194 member states have reported on the use of herbal medicines, acupuncture, yoga, indigenous therapies and other forms of traditional medicines, with acupuncture being the most common form of practice in 113 countries.
Many developed countries have begun recognising and integrating traditional medicine into their healthcare systems. In many WHO member states, TCIM treatments are part of the essential medicine lists, essential health service packages, and are covered by national health insurance schemes.
Traditional medicine and traditional knowledge have contributed to breakthrough medical discoveries and there is a long history of herbal medicine being translated into effective treatments for health conditions. Around 40 per cent of pharmaceutical products today have a natural product basis, and landmark drugs derive from traditional medicine.
The discovery of aspirin drew on traditional medicine formulations using the bark of the willow tree; the contraceptive pill was developed from the roots of wild yam plants; and child cancer treatments have been based on the rosy periwinkle. Nobel prize winning research on artemisinin for malaria control started with a review of ancient Chinese medicine texts. The discovery of the smallpox vaccine, which has led to the eradication of the disease, was inspired by ancient inoculation practices by communities around the world.
A remarkable and rapid modernisation of the ways traditional medicine is being studied can help realise the potential and promise of traditional medicine and traditional knowledge, for health and well-being. Inspired by traditional medicine, new clinically effective drugs can be identified through research methods such as ethnopharmacology and reverse pharmacology.
The application of new technologies in health and medicine can open new frontiers of knowledge on traditional medicine. Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a game-changer, revolutionising the study and practice of traditional healing systems.
AI’s advanced algorithms and machine learning capabilities can allow researchers to explore extensive traditional medical knowledge, map evidence and identify once elusive trends.
Traditional medicine has become a global phenomenon. The demand is growing, with patients seeking greater agency and ownership of their health and well-being and seeking more compassionate and personalised health care. For millions, especially those living in remote and rural areas, it continues to be the first choice for health and well-being, offering care that is culturally acceptable, available and affordable.
In response to the requests from countries for evidence and data to inform policies and practice, global standards and regulations to ensure safety, quality and equitable access, the WHO traditional medicine programme was started in 1976. Today, through its TCIM Unit, WHO is working with countries to develop standards and benchmarks for the training and practice of different systems of traditional medicine, and for their evidence-based integration in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD).
The WHO is setting up the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre at Gandhinagar
(India), with financial support of $250 million from Government of India. It is the first and only WHO global centre, to be ready by 2024, dedicated to traditional medicine. This knowledge hub focuses on partnership, evidence, data, biodiversity and innovation to optimise the contribution of traditional medicine to global health, universal health coverage (UHC) and sustainable development, and is guided by respect for local heritages, resources and rights.
To boost the WHO’s activities in the TCIM space, the health ministers from G20 and other countries, scientists, practitioners of traditional medicine, health workers and members of civil society from 88 countries participated in the first-ever WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit 2023 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India on August 17-18, 2023. The Summit concluded with a strong commitment to harness the potential of the evidence-based TCIM to improve progress towards UHC and Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 for the health and wellbeing of people and the planet.
The increased use of traditional medicine opens up more research and more evidence to establish what works and what doesn’t. And, the research looks really promising.