Traditional Medicine in Asia

efore 1987, traditional medicine had
no place in any formal health system in
Indonesia. However, in 1988, in order to
achieve greater equity in health
development, traditional medicine was
declared as an area for launching a potential
development programme. Traditional
herbal medicine and health care
practitioners, who have developed in line with
community needs, are to provide the
alternative health services. Indigenous
knowledge and healing techniques, herbal
medicines and traditional practitioners are
all very popular and familiar in the
community, because they are easily usable
and valuable, and have been proved safe
empirically. In 1995, a rule which regulates
traditional medicine and healers who
contribute to health care, was laid down
by the Ministry of Health (MOH). (1)
Introduction
B
Acupuncture, adopted from China’s
traditional medicine system, was integrated
into the national health system in November
1996. This rule has streng-thened the role
of traditional medicine and practitioners
within the country’s health system.
Indonesian traditional medicine uses
many terms and categories, ranging from
Traditional system of medicine in Indonesia
Traditional system of
medicine in Indonesia
Lestari Handayani, Haryadi Suparto
and Agus Suprapto
very simple to sophisticated ones. Most of
these are related to the local culture, which
makes it a little difficult for the outsider to
understand them. A plant, animal, mineral
or an intangible like metaphysics, may be
used for healing. The tool/instrument used
may be very sophisticated like laser, or
simple, like a wooden rod. Alternatively,
there may be no tool at all, and the healer
may simply use mental concentration. The
process could involve chemistry,
mechanics, electricity and psychology/
metaphysics. The route of administration
could be the mouth, nostril, skin, vagina,
rectum, etc. Usually, a traditional
practitioner/healer uses different
combinations of categories, e.g., to treat
a bone fracture, a bone healer uses a
mechanical bandage, oil mixed with flower
and inner power (concentration). There are
no strict, standard procedures of treatment
because of the many factors to be
considered in the holistic approach.
Subjectivity plays a major role in the
selection of the method of healing. The
methodology of testing traditional
medicines should be adjusted to the
philosophy on which they are based, such
as the holistic approach, the concept of
equilibrium or deep feeling. In such cases,
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