Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is expected to open the WHO conference via a video message, has repeatedly promoted the health benefits of yoga, extolling it as a “panacea” for stress and even hate.
The summit, set to become an annual event, follows the opening last year of a WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine, also in India’s Gujarat state.
LACK OF REGULATORY OVERSIGHT
While traditional medicines are widely used in some parts of the world, they also face fierce criticism.
The UN health agency defines traditional medicine as the knowledge, skills and practices used over time to maintain health and prevent, diagnose and treat physical and mental illness.
But many traditional treatments have no proven scientific value and conservationists say the industry drives a rampant trade in endangered animals – including tigers, rhinos and pangolins – threatening the existence of entire species.
Use of homemade remedies soared during the COVID-19 pandemic, including a green herbal drink based on Artemisia that was promoted by Madagascar’s president as a cure.
The plant has a proven efficacy in malaria treatment, but its use to combat COVID-19 was widely scorned by many doctors.
In China, traditional medicine has a distinguished history, but top European medical bodies have previously demanded it be subject to the same regulatory oversight as conventional Western methods.
Of the WHO’s 194 member states, 170 acknowledged their use of traditional and complementary medicine since 2018, but only 124 reported having laws or regulations for the use of herbal medicines – while only half had a national policy on such methods and medicines.
“Natural doesn’t always mean safe, and centuries of use are not a guarantee of efficacy; therefore, scientific method and process must be applied to provide the rigorous evidence required,” the WHO said.
Some 40 per cent of approved pharmaceutical products currently in use derive from a “natural product basis”, according to the WHO, citing “landmark drugs” that derive from traditional medicine, including aspirin, drawing on formulations using willow tree bark.
Source: CNA
