Introduction to Traditional Medicine

Traditional medicine describes medical knowledge systems, which developed over centuries within various societies before the era of modern medicine. There are a number of practices that falls under traditional medicines. For instance herbal, Ayurvedic, Unani, Ancient Iranian, Siddha, Islamic and traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, Muti, Ifá, and other medical knowledge and practices all over the globe.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines traditional medicines as:

Traditional medicine is the sum total of knowledge, skills and practices based on the theories, beliefs and experiences indigenous to different cultures that are used to maintain health, as well as to prevent, diagnose, improve or treat physical and mental illnesses.

Traditional medicine that has been adopted by other populations (outside its indigenous culture) is often termed alternative or complementary medicine.

In comparison to other form of traditional medicines, herbal medicines are the abundance and most profitable form of traditional medicines. Herbal medicines include herbs, herbal materials, herbal preparations, and finished herbal products that contain parts of plants or other plant materials as active ingredients.