Khan Usmanghani et. al.

/ JPBMS, 2011, 7 (19)

Available online at www.jpbms.info

ISSN NO- 2230 - 7885
Review Article
JPBMS

JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES

Global Atlas of traditional medicine

1Altaf Hussain, 2Syed Abdul Aziz, 1Khan Usmanghani, 1M. Akram, 1H. M. Asif

1Shifa ul Mulk Memorial Hospital, Faculty of Eastern Medicine, Hamdard University, Karachi, Pakistan.
2Hamdard Institute of Education and Social Sciences, Hamdard University, Karachi, Pakistan.

Abstract:
Medicine as it stands today is being affected by new trends i.e. along with allopathic medicine; the emergence and
resurgence of traditional medicine are appearing globally for health care. Therefore, it is imperative that policy and plans
for traditional medicine should be chalked out so as to cover all the salient features of applications and implication to cure
and prevent diseases. It has been pointed out what must be done appropriately to redirect the traditional medicine in the
health scenario in charting the agenda. In order to cover the frame work a delineation has been made to high light the
salient features of traditional medicine with respect to education, regulation, organization, practice and its implication in
hospital, industry, agriculture and trade.

Key Words: Traditional medicine, education and practice of traditional medicine, implication of traditional medicine

Introduction:
With the resurgence of traditional medicine on the face of earth,orientation and practice in the treatment through
the global atlas of traditional medicine plan is rather a necessity traditional medicine comprising either of natural drug or
than desire. If all factors that contribute to the development of its extract thereof, whereas in allopathy the synthetic
traditional medicine globally, the ten points agenda as given
below can be represented in its entire dimension for its
development and progress.
1. Education: Separation and integration
2. Legislation: Policy Control and cooperation
3. Practice: Cure, Prevention and Promotion
4. Hospitals and Clinics: Services and Administration
5. Industry: Manufacturing and Quality Assurance
6. Agriculture: Cultivation and conservation
7. Research and Development: Objectives and Strategies
8. Trade: Marketing and Management
9. Organization: Societies, Councils and commissions
10. Training: Orientation and applications
1. Education: Separation and integration
Education is one of the most important factors on whose
back the whole structure of conceptual plan of traditional
medicine can built upon for its growth. The education of
traditional medicine in presence scenario is given
independently as a separate entity in educational
intuitions, colleges and universities. The time frame and
duration of course of studies of traditional medicine for
the undergraduate program is of six years duration
inclusive one year clinical internship. The admission
process both in traditional and modern medicine is the
same i.e. 12th grade education in science subject with
particular reference to biology. This program in all respect
equates with education of allopathic which caters either
for MBBS or MD degrees. The only difference lies with
drugs are utilized to wipe out malady and malaise. But
both the class of studies traditional or medicine are taught
the modern scientific subject such as physiology,
biochemistry, anatomy, community medicine,
pharmacology, pathology, microbiology, forensic medicine,
toxicology, pediatrics, psychology, psychiatry, gynecology,
obstetrics, ophthalmic, ENT, Surgery, medicine, Clinical
methods and therapeutics. Then question arises whether
the education program both in traditional medicine and
modern unabatedly go on separately and independently or
an integrative program be envisaged wherein both the
area of discipline of subjects be taught together and in the
same institution. The atlas of traditional medicine has to
convince the people living on this earth to formulate such
program which brings about cohesion in the dissimilation
of knowledge in a unitary fashion or bi-partisan attitude
dictates our behavior for the orientation of the medical
education both traditional and modern to bring in to the
reality – health care for all[1].
2. Legislation: Policy Control and Cooperation
Legislation is the basic focal attention in the population
which govern the norms to effectively implements the
utilization of traditional medicine in the health care
program. The legislation is the decorum to bring about the
formulation of policies through the input data on
traditional medicine about the behavior as well as
utilization and generate and output with appropriate
regulation for its adoption and implementation. The
legislation is the task of the respective government and

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 Khan Usmanghani et. al. / JPBMS, 2011, 7 (19)
traditional medicine components in the frame of the rule
of law varies with the governess and the due share of
traditional medicine role in the health sector. But with the
changing aspect of synthetic drugs adverse and intense
reaction, traditional products with induction of clinically
evidence base documented medicines are in great
demand. So the medicine, traditional or synthetic are
infact drug so the legislation for both be operative for
efficacy and effectiveness. The legislation for the
traditional medicine is the central concern so as to enable
us to lead a good and humane life. It is not desire to devise
rule of law for traditional medicine what is required by the
people of this planet to be orderly in the affairs of health
care with which we share this glob. The fundamental law
documents that is required to be operative within the
specific discipline of traditional medicine to frame laws
and conduct of rules regulate not to control. Every nation
should be asked to structure law for the education,
practice, industry, conservation, import and export of
traditional medicine and the products to flow and
consume by the people. All these are not to averse the
process of health care system but to combine all human
capabilities to expend the state system in to and integral
part where traditional medicine as a component per se
demands the equality – health for all[2].
3.Practice: Cure, Prevention and Promotion
Traditional medicine continues to add truly significance
expansion to the practice of the evidence based natural
medicine. Therefore comprehensive updated knowledge
of scientific studies and clinical trial of the therapeutics
useful traditional medicine have increased considerably in
numerical strength both in official and unofficial
compendia’s. In contrast the dogmatic traditional
medicine formulation as single and compound ingredients
are in thousand approximately 2500 – 3000 in any given
country or nation, as compared to documented natural
medicine from 275 – 300. The essential list drawn out of
the thousands formulations bring the marks lowering to
approximately 500 as single and 800 compound
formulations required to treat different verity of diseases.
The international classification of diseases enumerates the
large quantum of ill health pattern that is required to be
addressed for curative effect in a community or society.
So stand the dilemma of traditional medicine vis a vis the
diseases and both are innumerable – with this the practice
of traditional medicine system is grappling with. But one
fact is very clear both allopathic and traditional have the
ability to treat patients from simple malaise to chronics
diseases threatening the life process. It is because there is
no difference between the two operatives systems of
medicine. The traditional medicines are in facts comprise
of mixture of chemical constituents working
synergistically to target organ to bring about corrective
factor to heal the body whereas in the same fashion the
allopathy exerts its manifestation with single entity of
chemical compounds or group of chemical compounds. In
the ultimate analysis, the pharmacological effects are
brought into documentation to prove the nature of its
clinical efficacy. So what perhaps required is the emphasis form design either as traditional product or modern style
that practice of traditional medicine has to go forth and as dosage design are actual drug as such. The quality
starter the physician should give in way to pool all their
resources to use at first hand evidence based national
medicine and at the same time try to bring dogmatic
2 Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences (JPBMS), Vol. 07, Issue 07
medicine into the arena of clinical effectiveness so that a
healthy pattern of therapy take its root on firm ground to
prevent, cure and promote through the prescription of
traditional medicine. In the practice the traditional
medicine has to be redefined with the huge
armamentarium of natural medicine availability that has
the potential to bring about significant physiological and
pharmacological effect on biological system.
For far too long nations and countries has depend on
folklore, now the broad spectrum of scientific and clinical
evidence support should form the roadmap for the
practice in global atlas of traditional medicine. In this way
the therapy will, without question, continue to be
significant and hallmark or beacon of achievement, in the
development of medical sciences and its applications to
human health[3].
4.Hospitals and Clinics: Services and
Administration
Surface of the earth very clearly depicts that clinics are
more in number as compared to hospital to treat patients
through traditional system of medicine. What actually
under lies herewith this fact is that rural population 50 –
70 % depends on traditional medicine and only outlet
source of service is clinic. But this dose not means that
urban population is not benefited with this type of
treatment and clinics are not located in the densely
populated areas. Hospitals and clinics have a very clear
distinction in their utility whereas the former caters to the
bulk patients out patient’s wards and specialized,
ambulatory, chronic and emergency care in inpatients
wards. The hospital, therefore, have always played a
dominant role to bring about healthy society. What is
actually lacking in the treatment of the traditional
medicine system of medicine the absence of numerical
strength of hospitals or modern hospitals prescribing and
administering the traditional medicine in any given
country. This is one of the impeding factors which has
hampering the spread of the growth of traditional
medicine and WHO conceptual plan health for all. The
hospital and traditional medicine can contribute
significantly to envisage the clinical documentation as well
as research and development this is very much needed as
priority so that the bulk of population should have the
option to avail the facilities of being treated of traditional
medicine in all hospitals. The most significant thrust of
global atlas of traditional medicine should be to invite the
attention of the government functionaries and health
regulators and WHO to advance the system of hospital of
traditional medicine in the length and breadth of all
countries[4].
5.Industry: Manufacturing and Quality
Assurance
Perhaps the largest single factor that is playing its due role
is the in industry in traditional medicine sector. Industry
has already been engaged in producing different dosage
assurance program and its sophistication vary from
developing to developed countries based on constraints of
resources, technology and strategies of the dictates of
official and unofficial agencies that regulate their
 Khan Usmanghani et. al. / JPBMS, 2011, 7 (19)
operations.The US $ 20 billion business that revolves
competition among the traditional medicine industry, that
these in turn are paying more attention towards research
and development. The traditional medicine industry is
classified in to small, medium and large size industry
which caters to satisfy the consumers to bring about
curative effects. With these it has been added another
phenomena that herbal medicine industry have out stretch
their program into the nutraceuticals and food business as
well. The notion could be right wherein, these two
components represent the preventive aspect and healthy
pattern in the society. With the addition of vitamins, amino
acids and minerals along with the traditional medicine
have paved the way to generally develop a healthy society
which is rather a healthy trend itself. If traditional
medicine has to chalk out a program for its expansion on a
global atlas scale, then large scale industry in the
respective industries should strive hard to have their
existence in physical form in every country of the earth by
coalition, cooperation and association so that better
traditional drug should be available to all humans without
caste and creed[5].
6.Agriculture: Cultivation and Conservation
Traditional medicine and agriculture go together as a
partner to supply the raw material that is being used to
manufacture product. The supply of the raw material as
medicinal herbs or plants are either collected from the
wild or cultivated in the field. The collection in wild has
put extra ordinary constraints on forest consequently
leading to depletion of the specified medicinal plants spp
and poses as threat of conservation. As traditional
medicine utilization and industry has to grow many fold
and bulk of the supply will be required to augment to
increase the industrial capacity. Therefore, agriculture has
to be only tapped to cultivate the different verities of
medicinal herb and plants and in turn increase the
required taxonomic, chemical and pharmacological
markers by hybridization and germ plasm availability. The
cultivation of medicine herbs not only provide the quality
but there is a greater elements of authenticity of medicinal
herbs and plants to produce traditional medicine as well
as to facilitates the industry of quality assurance of
medicinal entity manufactured. Every body favors to
cultivate medicinal herbs in abundance but the
commercial crop dominate the economic scenario,
therefore, best way is to cultivate medicinal herbs and
aromatic crops as an alternate and complement approach.
The government agencies can play significance role to
bring into one plate form the farmers – industrialist
engaged in traditional medicine produced and provide
lucrative interest and exert their influence so that bulk of
the product be available like synthetic agent for the bulk of
the population[6].
7.Research and Development: Objectives and
Strategies
Research brings from unknown to known. So the
knowledge in any give set of experimental in areas of basic
medical sciences and applied clinical sciences goes on
unabated development. It is to be understood that every
yen spent on research will in time to come will repay in
the limitless happiness of health which is what the wealth
is. The global atlas of traditional medicine on the agenda of
3 Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences (JPBMS), Vol. 07, Issue 07
round the globe has put up an extraordinary
research and development has to pool their resources that
the speed and onset of research in traditional medicine
does not at all match with research on allopathy. May be
pharmaceutical giants have the potential to incur huge
sum of money to invest in research and over the period of
years, bring about new medicine into the market thus in
the ultimate analysis reap the harvest of financial benefits.
In this way the research potential have been blown in leap
and bounds but in traditional medicine research and
development has been hampered by the lack of good
quality of research although fortunately that is now
starting to change. The example can be cited of Prof. Dr.
Akira Morohashi – Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical
university who won the laurels for his work on traditional
medicine at the molecular level in specialization of
dermatology. Although the research on both efficacy and
safety of traditional product and the inevitable more
research needed will apply to natural medicine in time to
come. The plan of research on global attainment in the
public and private sector spending and that respective
government is advised to spend at the minimum one
percent of GDP so that research and development
especially in traditional medicine continues to grow. A
remarkable vista and vision of science of medicine,
incorporating the best of the traditional approach with the
latest in diagnostic and treatment recommendation could
be step forward for over 1,000 illnesses.
8.Trade: Marketing and Management
Trade marketing is the self regulated machine with the
forward thrust of use of traditional medicine is on the rise
around the world. The current world herbal medicine
trade is estimated to have reached US $ 80 billion in 2000
and the world bank projects it to grow US $200 billion in
2008 and US $ 5 trillion in 2050. the quantum of balance of
trade in traditional medicine has been always in tilt
toward the developed countries wherein in the developing
country it is due to the economic necessity that delineate
to put up resistance to sustained growth. The export and
import potential of medicinal herbs and plants and
traditional medicine and products between the nations
has been in place in historical terns but the quantum have
never registered an upward trend. Global policies of trade
and marketing in traditional medicine design could only
be generated by advice potential such that the efforts and
endeavors to adopt promotional rules in trade be effective
and simplified. This will brings ultimately optimal
utilization of these resources would lead to economic
development by cutting down the cost of health, reducing
dependency on imports and improving the health of the
masses, which is now considered as measured
characteristic feature and fact for the economic
development. The management and marketing in
traditional medicine should lay emphases on organization
management, production management, marketing / sales
management and detail management. All these areas have
to be pushed at excellence level so as to understand and
develop the human resources in channels of traditional
medicines distribution and promotion. The collective
efforts of traditional medicine planning, organizing,
directing and controlling human efforts to achieve the net
result of increase activity in traditional medicine trade and
marketing.
 Khan Usmanghani et. al. / JPBMS, 2011, 7 (19)
9.Organization: Societies, Councils and
Commissions
Communication between the people in the areas of
traditional medicine learning and its expansion thereof, is
through the dissemination of knowledge by either oral or
written analogy. Therefore, the scientific societies have
been instrumental in the explosion of information in the
given area of domain of classified information through the
retrieval of knowledge in documented form of books,
journal and more recently the fast electronic medium – the
internet. However, this could be among the reader and the
write up. But experimental gained can be very easily
communicated by orals means in a seminar, symposium,
conference and that too exert a very lasting impression to
imprint on the brain and discussion consequently lead to
clarify the areas of scientific learning that is inclusive
traditional medicine. So infact societies associations have
played a pivotal role to increase the understanding in
different dimension of its utility and implications. Every
country has its own society’s traditional medicine,
exerting their influence independently and to some extent
in a bipolar fashion. What is required to check the
mushroom growth of these societies and association and
bring into the cover of less than one roof and that these in
turn being independent also joined together like rooms of
a houses bound together remains altogether independent.
The council has more vivid role being played in traditional
medicine sector and are regulated officially and
unofficially for the practice of traditional medicine. So the
councils can be expanded to bring about more meaningful
course of action about expansion of learning in traditional
medicine. But all these could be achieved by official
patronage being free in their choice and action to evolve
and distribute the future course of traditional medicine for
the better promise of tomorrow in the health care sector.
One of the missing links is the pharmacopoeia commission
in majority of the countries of the world. Although
international efforts in the form of international
pharmacopoeia have given a way to bring homogenous
monograph of traditional medicine that could be utilized
by stake holders e.g. industry, regulatory body. But the
effective way in which the international community could
be brought at one platform to follow the set of parameters
for any given medicinal herbs and plants rather miserably
been failed. Therefore, the global atlas of traditional
medicine should in turn convince the people the different
pharmacopoeias is an exercise in futility. It would be of
interest that the different efforts to compile
References:
1.Lindsay Stafford, WHO Congress passes Beijing
declaration on traditional medicine, Revista Cubana de
Plantas Medicinales 2010;15(1), 64-67.
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3.Charles M Good, Traditional Medicine, an agenda for
medical geography, social sciences and Medicine II (14-
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4.Charlie Changli Xue, Chun Guang Li, principle in design-
4 Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences (JPBMS), Vol. 07, Issue 07
pharmacopoeia be entrusted as the task of WHO to
prepare a general consensus monograph that could be
adopted and utilized by different nations. If we can woven
the people in one form, on the one point agenda of
traditional medicine pharmacopoeia the respective
commission of each country contribute and evolvement of
pharmacopoeia could come into force in time nearby and
not too distance a future.
10.Training: Orientation and Applications
Training is continuing education program which
inculcates the mental faculty to imbibe and ameliorate the
learning process. So training is rather must to develop the
human resources with the advancement of experiences
and this is rather a continuation process to update the
knowledge and learning and that stand even true in case of
traditional medicine. Therefore, training is just like a four
walls or boundary with in which are the factors
enumerated such as education, legislation practice,
hospitals and clinics, industry agriculture, research and
development, trade and organization requires to be
updated and advance for their enlightenment. Training
plans in traditional medicine will provide the stake
holders and to those health care workers who are, or will
in the future be, involved with traditional medicine
evolvement and practice with the thorough back ground of
science and technology of the practical approach and
provide details on how traditional medicine being used in
all its sphere of utilization and utility. The delivering
health care through traditional medicine and improve the
level of understanding through training with a view to
provide better, safe and effective, health care services to
the population at large. The core curriculum of training is
to conduct awareness program and to point out pitfall and
there remedial solution among the stake holder associated
with traditional medicine and to built public support on
the important tissue are to be focused upon the way that
proposes a number of multi disciplinary intervention
which would address crucial gaps and which would along
way towards achieving the development of the traditional
medicine globally. The training components in traditional
medicine requires stronger national and international
coordination and collaboration amongst different agencies
from both formal and non formal sectors with
participation of public and private sector, this will
facilitate the opening of new horizon for human welfare[7].
ning traditional medicine education programs, Pacific
Health Dialog, 2003;10(2) 99-105.
5.P. Jayaraj, Regulation of traditional and complementary
medicinal products in Malaysia, International Journal of
Green Pharmacy, 2010;10-14.
6.WHO report, National policy on traditional medicine and
regulation of herbal medicine, 2005;90.
7.Jeanne L. Shea, Applying evidence medicine to
traditional Chinese medicine, Debate and strategy, The
Journal of alternative and complementary medicine,
2006;12(3), 255-63.
 Khan Usmanghani et. al. / JPBMS, 2011, 7 (19)

*Corresponding Author:
Muhammad Akram
Shifa ul Mulk Memorial Hospital, Faculty of Eastern Medicine,
Hamdard University, Karachi, Pakistan.
Email: makram_0451@yahoo.com

Conflict of Interest : None.

5 Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences (JPBMS), Vol. 07, Issue 07