What is traditional medicine?
The World Health Organization defines traditional medicine as:
"...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."
The WHO goes on to also say that...
"Traditional medicine that has been adopted by other populations (outside its indigenous culture) is often termed alternative or complementary medicine.
Herbal medicines include herbs, herbal materials, herbal preparations, and finished herbal products that contain parts of plants or other plant materials as active ingredients" (24).
"...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."
The WHO goes on to also say that...
"Traditional medicine that has been adopted by other populations (outside its indigenous culture) is often termed alternative or complementary medicine.
Herbal medicines include herbs, herbal materials, herbal preparations, and finished herbal products that contain parts of plants or other plant materials as active ingredients" (24).
Who uses traditional medicine?
DIstribution of utilization of traditional medicine (zakshow.com)
Traditional medicine is used around the world. In many Latin American and African nations, it accounts for a large percentage of total medicine and treatment for illness and wellness purposes. And in Western countries and the highly industrialized countries of Asia, the use of traditional practices and herbal remedies has been on the rise as pharmaceuticals have been increasing in price (6).
There is also a trend toward a return to the natural, as evidenced by a study done by Bussmann et al. in which they find some of the top reasons for using medicinal plants are because they are more natural, safer, and purer (5).
The use of traditional practices and herbs for health purposes is one that has been becoming more legitimate, but a bias remains against it in many areas of the world. Oftentimes traditions are discarded by practitioners of so-called modern medicine, one of the threats to the preservation of this type of medicine today.
There is also a trend toward a return to the natural, as evidenced by a study done by Bussmann et al. in which they find some of the top reasons for using medicinal plants are because they are more natural, safer, and purer (5).
The use of traditional practices and herbs for health purposes is one that has been becoming more legitimate, but a bias remains against it in many areas of the world. Oftentimes traditions are discarded by practitioners of so-called modern medicine, one of the threats to the preservation of this type of medicine today.
Traditional Medicine in the Andes
Andean men carry wood along the highway
On these pages I describe some of the major points in regards to traditional medicine in the Peruvian Andes where I stayed and researched this past summer.
Click on the title to go to each page!
Practitioners
(the stories of two of the healers I met in Peru)
Herbal/Plant Knowledge
(information on important plants and communal knowledge)
Medicinal Practices
(a description of a couple common practices in the Andes)
Experiencia Personal
(a personal encounter with a "shoqma de cuy")
Click on the title to go to each page!
Practitioners
(the stories of two of the healers I met in Peru)
Herbal/Plant Knowledge
(information on important plants and communal knowledge)
Medicinal Practices
(a description of a couple common practices in the Andes)
Experiencia Personal
(a personal encounter with a "shoqma de cuy")