Traditional Medicine in Asia

strategies which may suit the individual but
which may lead to delay in the diagnosis
of a really serious illness? How can the
expertise of the practitioner and the quality
and safety of the drugs be assured? Would
governments be in a position to introduce
regulations and enforcement mechanisms
that protect the patient against malpractice
and spurious drugs, without curbing the
individuality of the practitioner? Equally,
should the consumer be denied access to
simpler, gentler forms of treatment only
because there is no one to inform him
about such alternatives? If at all traditional
medicine is to be used as a strategy to
bolster the normal health care approach,
where will its inclusion make the greatest
impact and how can such assimilation take
place?
These are some of the questions that
need to be answered. This paper is an
attempt to respond to them based primarily
on the Indian experience, but also
documented elsewhere.
Giving Legitimacy to
Traditional Medicine
Traditional medicine can play a far more
meaningful role in the health system of a
country if it receives legitimacy from governments.
For this, several requirements need
to be fulfilled.
National Recognition for
Traditional Medicine
Governments need to recognize a system
or practice, therapies and drugs which
have been studied by professional
evaluators for safety and efficacy to give
legitimacy to what is considered appropriate
for public use. Thousands of
formulations in Ayurveda and, for that
matter, tribal and folk remedies the world
over speak of the use of various herbs,
Role of traditional systems of medicine in national health care systems
Pupils practising surgical procedures on vegetables in
ancient India
singly or in combination mixed with other
natural substances of mineral, animal or
marine origin having properties to improve
physical well-being, remove disease and
disability and prevent the onset of seasonal
problems. If the remedy has been
documented and has been in use in a
community for hundreds of years or, for
that matter, even two or three decades,
does it call for safety and toxicity studies to
be conducted if there is a way of testing
the absence of high microbial content and
the absence of non-permissible
substances? 2
Many traditional medicines are no
different from food items like home-made
wines, jams, jellies, squashes and syrups.
They contain only natural ingredients and,
just as there are standards for food,
formularies and pharmacopoeias have
been evolved to set standards for the
preparation of many such traditional
medicines. For assimilation into a health
system, if the pharmacopoeial standards
are adhered to, if a licensing mechanism
is in place and if there are ways of testing
the product for the presence of the main
ingredients and the absence of nonpermissible
substances, the system is in
place.
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