Importance of Traditional Medicine

Many people wonder what is traditional medicine but have no idea about it. The World Health Organisation defines traditional medicine as “The total of knowledge, skills, and practices based on the beliefs, ideas, and experiences intrinsic to many cultures, whether explicable or not, that are utilised for health maintenance and the prevention, improvement, diagnosis, or treatment of physical and mental disease.” In some cases, traditional medical systems are based on a large body of literature and records of theoretical principles and practical skills. In contrast, they are passed down verbally from generation to generation in others. Most people still use different types of traditional medicine in several regions of the globe for primary health care.

What Is Traditional Medicine?

Suppose you’re wondering what is traditional medicine. Natural therapies for treating, diagnosing, and maintaining health include medicinal herbs and botanicals, spiritual treatments, physical therapy, and exercises. According to the World Health Organisation, more study is required to prove the effectiveness and safety of traditional medical techniques and medicinal plants. Some argue that for modern technology and medicine to flourish, they must be blended into conventional societies. Traditional therapy may be beneficial for treating chronic illness and psychological issues such as stress-related disorders. Contrary to common assumptions, this is not the case.

Native American Medicine

Traditional Alaskan medicine dates back many centuries. Ethnobotanical plants are widely used in traditional medicine by Native Americans in the United States. Treatment in the native American tradition incorporates all four facets of life: health, illness, spirituality, and religion. Medicine men and women, herbalists, and shamans are all examples of indigenous healers in their cultures. When it comes to herbal medicine, tribal healers consider the therapeutic value of various plants. Scent, colour, and flavour all play a role in determining a plant’s medicinal value and effectiveness. 

Meskwaki used Arum maculatum juice to cure snakebites. Snake venom and its head-like fluid develop in milky plants. Dropsy or fluid collection in the lower legs was treated with foxglove by the native Americans. Digitalis is derived from foxglove extract, which lowers the heart rate. A wide range of ailments was treated by native Americans, including fevers, stomach disorders, rashes, broken bones, the birth of children, and the recovery of ailing women. It was more successful in awakening patients from a coma in an IHS hospital, allowing Navajo healers to visit (80 % ). Achillea and Artemisia were used by Anthemideae for orthopaedic and pulmonary support, respectively. In the 14 North American tribes, Asteraceae was the most commonly employed family of medicinal plants.

Australian Bush Medicine

Bush medicine is often prepared by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia, utilising plant materials such as leaves, bark, seeds, and animal items. Herbal medicine is a type of traditional medicine that employs natural plant compounds to treat or prevent illness.

Folk Medicine

Folk medicine is one of the many types of traditional medicine which may coexist alongside controlled, science-based, and institutionalised medical practice represented by conventional medicine in many nations. Among the folk medicine traditions are:

• Arabic indigenous medicine.
• Traditional Chinese medicine.
• Korean traditional medicine.
• Uyghur traditional medicine.
• Native Hawaiian Lau lapaau.
• Japanese Kamp medicine.
• Traditional Aboriginal bush medicine.
• Iranian traditional medicine.
• Georgian folk medicine.

Home Remedies

A home remedy (also known as a grandmother’s cure) is a treatment for a disease or condition that uses herbs, vegetables, spices or other common ingredients. This type of traditional medicine may or may not be capable of healing or curing the illness or condition. They are often passed on by non-medical individuals (which the Internet has facilitated in recent years). Many are employed as a matter of habit or tradition or to successfully create the placebo effect.

Nattuvaidyam

India had nattu vaidyam before allopathy or western medicine. Each culture has its ideas about the body, health, and sickness. Many civilisations exchanged views, medicines, and customs. Some utilised written materials in Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu, while others used mnemonic devices. In southern India, Ayurveda was known as nattu vaidyam. Kalarichikitsa (bone setting and muscle massage), marma chikitsa (critical point massage), ottamooli vaidyam, and Chintamani vaidyam are some others. Ayurveda embraced various nattuvaidyam practices and processes when India’s medical system was reformed in the twentieth century.

Conclusion

As our way of life becomes more contemporary, we move away from nature. Because we are a part of nature, we cannot ignore it. Types of traditional medicine have no side effects, are relatively safe, are environmentally friendly, and are widely accessible. Traditional medicine has long been used to alleviate diseases associated with seasonal changes. To save people’s lives, they must be encouraged. Traditional medicines are increasingly considered a symbol of safety, compared to synthetic drugs, deemed detrimental to both people and the environment. Even though herbs have been valued for millennia for their medicinal, flavouring, and aromatic properties, synthetic items have temporarily eclipsed their relevance. People are returning to traditional medicines in the hopes of finding safety and security now that their mindless reliance on synthetics has ended. It’s now time to go global with them.