National Policy on
Traditional Medicine and
Regulation of Herbal Medicines
Report of a WHO Global Survey
Regulation of Herbal Medicines
Report of a WHO Global Survey
Various types of traditional
medicine (TM) and medical practices referred to as complementary or
alternative medicine (CAM), have been increasingly used in both
developing and developed countries. One of the major components of the
WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy is to promote the integration of TM
and CAM into national health care systems where appropriate. Development
of national policy and regulations are an essential indicator of the
level of integration of such medicine within a national health care
system.
The use of medicinal plants is the most common form of traditional
medication worldwide. Regulation of herbal medicines is a key means of
ensuring safety, efficacy and quality of herbal medicinal products. WHO
has been receiving an increasing number of requests from governments for
guidance on how to regulate herbal medicines.
During the last four years, many countries have established, or
initiated the process of establishing national regulations regarding
herbal medicines. WHO has been conducting a global survey on national
policy on traditional medicine and on the regulation of herbal
medicines; aiming to:
- Collect updated and comprehensive information on TM/CAM policies and regulations of herbal medicines
- Clarify the current situation, in each country, on the TM/CAM national policies and regulation of herbal medicines, and their major challenges on these particular area
- Identify the specific needs on capacity building for TM/CAM policy development including establishment of regulations of herbal medicines, and the type of direct support WHO should provide to Member States
- Monitor the impact of the WHO Strategy for Traditional Medicine in relation to present national policy and regulation on TM/CAM/herbal medicines
WHO had received completed survey return from 141 countries. The
raw data of the survey results were fed into a database specifically
designed for this project, to create basic country profiles. Government
clearance has been obtained for each country profile, the manuscript of
the draft summary report was finalized in English. The present document
provides a summary of the results of the WHO global survey with
information from 141 Member States.
The baseline information gathered in the first of its kind, and
will be valuable not only to help countries compare and learn each
other's experiences in strengthen their current TM/CAM system, but also
for guiding WHO on provision of support to Member States.
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