2023-08-18 18:00:00
It is estimated that around 40% of the medicines used today are based on natural products.
Some drugs such as aspirin, artemisinin, and some childhood cancer treatments come from this modality.
In March 2022, the WHO inaugurated the first World Center for Traditional Medicine and it is located in India.
The World Health Organization (WHO) was created in 1948 with the aim of promoting good sanitary practices. It is the highest global authority for guidance on disease management. Although throughout its history it had never organized a summit on traditional medicine.
This situation changed because on August 17 the first of two days was held to analyze and discuss this ancient form of healing. The meeting takes place in the city of Gandhinagar in India and is co-sponsored by the Government of that country.
In this sense, the director of the WHO, Tedros Adhanomspecified that the Organization is working to gather evidence and data to serve as the basis for policies, rules and regulations for the safe, profitable and equitable use of this form of healing.
millennial tradition
He mentioned that for centuries, numerous homes and communities have come to the traditional medicine. Located on the border of medicine and science, this comprehensive health resource has laid the foundation for classic medical texts.
LIVE: Opening ceremony of WHO #TraditionalMedicine Global Summit
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) August 17, 2023
According to the WHO, about 40% of the drugs used today are based on natural products. Certain reference drugs, such as acetylsalicylic acid, artemisinin and some childhood cancer treatments, come from this modality.
He added that new studies are being carried out in this field. For example, about genomics and artificial intelligenceand there are more and more companies specializing in medicinal herbs, natural products, health, wellness and travel related to these topics.
Regulation of traditional medicine
During the meeting it was said that 170 countries reported to WHO the use of traditional medicine and asked the UN agency to provide evidence and data to inform its policies, rules and regulations with a view to using it in a safe, profitable and equitable manner.
Heeding this call, the agency, with the support of the Government of India, established in March 2022 the WHO World Center for Traditional Medicine.
The Organization notes that the Center deals with cooperation, evidence, data, biodiversity and innovation to maximize the contribution of this modality for global health, universal health coverage and sustainable development, and is also governed for the respect of rights, heritage and local resources.
Towards integration into national health systems
Aside from the agency’s work, its director general urged countries to commit to studying how best to integrate traditional medicine into their national health systems.
He also called for specific, evidence-based recommendations that could serve as the basis for the next WHO global strategy on traditional medicine.
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