Editorial Note
Volume 5 Issue 5
Kamal Kumar Sen*
October 30, 2024
Abstract
Traditional medicine system consists with two elements first, spiritual practice and second, natural drug-based treatment methods. Where natural drug either plant derived or animal based. The spiritual healing are basically some rituals doing by the communities to treat ailment initially. Traditional medicine having holistic and dynamic characteristics. Both spiritual practices and natural drug-based treatment also known as complementary therapies and herbal medicine. They are recognized globally in both developed and developing countries. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) reports, nearly 80% of the global population still chooses traditional medicine as their first choice of healthcare. This huge chunk of the population has a great interest in traditional medicine because of its cost-effectiveness, easy accessibility, acceptability, minimum side effects and spiritual mythology. For two decades there has been a progressive demand for traditional medicine worldwide. An inadequate provision of modern medicine causes to move toward traditional medicine system to peoples. The huge research database indicates that traditional medicine research gets significant attention within the scientific community.
Systematic documentation of traditional medicinal knowledge along with uses of herbs and dose administration play a pioneering role in the research and development of modern medicine. Worldwide more than 4,20,000 flowering plants are reported to date and more than 50,000 plants are used as medicine for kinds of ailments. In the context of the Indian traditional medicine system, more than 43% of the total flowering plants are recognized as medicinal values.
Much research has proven that the Indian traditional medicine system includes one of the oldest and finest medical sciences in the world. Collectively this medical system consists of AYUSH, which means Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy. The treatment of any health issues with AYUSH can include Drug therapy, Acupuncture massage, Psychotherapy, Yoga, and Surgical techniques. According to the Sushruta Samhita, there are eight kinds of surgical methods mentioned under the surgical techniques viz., Resection, Incision, Stab, Puncture, Extraction, Puncture and collaterals, Suturing, and bandaging.
Ayurveda has been a fascinating subject since back to two decades among health and medicine researchers. It is the oldest collection and documentation of medical systems that originated back to 5000 B.C. In Ayurveda, there are eight divisions found i.e., Kayacikitsa (Internal medicine), Salya Tantra (Surgery), Salakya (Otolaryngology), Kaumarabhrtya (Gynecology and Pediatrics), Bhutavida (Psychiatry), Agada Tantra (Toxicology), Rasayana Tantra (Gerontology) and Vajikarana (Eugenics and Expediting). Ayurvedic treatments developed a close relationship between body and mind which makes them holistic therapy.
On the other side, Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is a major part of the Chinese traditional medicine system. CHM is significantly used as an important source in new drug discovery. A Nobel Prize awarded You-you Tu (2015) discovered a therapeutic drug Artemisinin from the Chinese herbal plant Artemisia annua L. Artemisinin is used as a drug to treat malaria. According to the literature, one-third of the clinical drugs are extracted from CHM in China. For thousands of years, CHM has been the main source of treatment and prevention traditionally for various health issues in China. CHM not only provides a drug but also gives food flavors, pigments, and cosmetics ingredients. The CHM market recognized globally in recent years. According to the statistical data, CHM consumption is boosted by 400000 tons annually. These data support the importance of the Chinese traditional medicine system.
In conclusion, both the Indian traditional medicinal system and the Chinese traditional medicine system are still recognized as primary healthcare treatment for the majority of the people. Many drugs are discovered from natural resources and plants due to their traditional use in many parts of the world. The ethnic knowledge of herbal drugs navigating to the new drug discoveries at the labs. There are need for effective documentation of the traditional knowledge of herbal drugs. It may help the scientific community to achieve drug development for untreatable ailments.