Everyone knows the agonizing experience of seeing a small child restless with high fever or a young girl groaning with severe stomachache or a young boy throwing up. The fear turns into desperation when one searches for medicines in the medicine cabinet and finds none.
Nowadays, because of the rising cost of modern drugs, people are again turning to medicinal herbs for relief of their ailments and afflictions.
No less than the World Health Organization (WHO) encourages countries to make use of medicinal plants as a means of developing self-reliance in health technology.
One doctor said that the effectiveness of much of traditional medicine is now an accepted fact. He observed that, over the years, there has been a relative lack of attention to the use of medicinal plants and much emphasis has been placed on synthetic drugs, some of which are uneconomical. However, lately, there has been an awakening of interest in traditional medicine among the more developed countries in the Western Pacific due to the rising cost of drugs and because traditional preparations are generally free from side effects.
“In countries where the cost of medical care is met largely through taxation or a form of insurance, government authorities have realized that some means must be found to curb the spiraling cost of prescribed drugs. In contrast, the cost of preparations from medicinal plants of local origin is much lower and meets consumer approval,” one expert said.
He added that many synthetic drugs have side effects which can be worse than the signs, symptoms and pathology of the condition itself. However, traditional preparations which have been used for many years are generally free from side effects, if properly prepared and used.
One medical health expert said that the use of medicinal plants and other therapeutic methods is a very important part of the cultural heritage of many countries — a heritage which summarizes the experience of the people in combating diseases over a long period of time.
He explained: “Today, WHO encourages countries to make better use of traditional medicine and medicinal plants and to consider their use as a means to become self-reliant through the development of appropriate health technology in accordance with their cultural heritage and natural resources.”
“There is thus a need for integrating traditional medicine together, with medicinal plants into health care systems. The use of medicinal plants is most frequently required at the primary health care level where generally the use of traditional drugs may be medically and economically justified,” another expert said.
Related posts:
- Importance of Drinking Milk Milk is a rich source of the minerals, calcium...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
