• In some Asian and African countries, 80% of the population depend on traditional medicine for primary health care.
• Herbal medicines are the most lucrative form of traditional medicine, generating billions of dollars in revenue.
• Traditional medicine can treat various infectious and chronic conditions: new antimalarial drugs were developed from the discovery and isolation of artemisinin from Artemisia annua L., a plant used in China for almost 2000 years.
WHO response
WHO and its Member States cooperate to promote the use of traditional medicine for health care. The collaboration aims to:
• support and integrate traditional medicine into national health systems in combination with national policy and regulation for products, practices and providers to ensure safety and quality;
• ensure the use of safe, effective and quality products and practices, based on available evidence;
• acknowledge traditional medicine as part of primary health care, to increase access to care and preserve knowledge and resources; and
• ensure patient safety by upgrading the skills and knowledge of traditional medicine providers.
