“According to the WHO Global Report on Traditional and Complementary Medicine (2019), various systems of traditional medicine being used around the world include acupuncture, herbal medicines, indigenous traditional medicine, homeopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, naturopathy, chiropractic, osteopathy, ayurvedic and Unani medicine. And one hundred and seventy WHO Member States have reported on the use of traditional medicine by their populations”.
Even though the system of traditional Indian medicine is believed by the majority to be incapable of dealing with emergency situations, acute conditions and the complex ones, its medicines have contributed significantly to the modern medical science. And this statement has been validated time and again by the WHO which in one of its reports stated –
“Around 40% of pharmaceutical products today draw from nature and traditional knowledge, including landmark drugs: aspirin, artemisinin, and childhood cancer treatments. A closer look at these drugs reveals that the scientists behind them built off traditional knowledge to achieve their breakthrough discoveries.