The promotion and development of traditional medicine : report of a WHO meeting, held in Geneva from 28 November to 2 December 1977

Introduction -- 1.Traditional medicine in health care -- 2. Reasons for the promotion of traditional medicine -- 3. Utilization of traditional medicine in national health care systems -- 4. Integration of traditional and modern medicine -- 5. Manpower development -- 6. Research promotion and development -- 7. Recommendations -- Annex.

Presents conclusions and practical guidelines supporting the need for a radical promotion and development of traditional medicine as one of the surest ways to achieve total health care coverage of the world population. Emphasis is placed on the need for traditional medicine to be evaluated, given due recognition and developed so as to improve its efficacy, safety, availability, and wider application at low cost. The report, which records the views of experts representing all major systems of traditional medicine, first endorses the intrinsic value of this holistic approach to health care. The experts also note the need to make the wisdom of traditional healers, particularly concerning the use of medicinal plants, more generally available. The most extensive section presents guidelines, supported by case studies from four countries, for integrating traditional medicine into national health care systems. Readers are also alerted to a number of fundamental constraints to integration, including the need for preservation of the cultural heritage and the impossibility of reconciling such practices as exorcism with the principles of medical science. The report concludes with examples of current research designed to evaluate the efficacy of traditional medicines.