WHO International Standard Terminologies on Traditional Medicine

WHO International Standard Terminologies on Traditional Medicine in the 

Western Pacific Region

This book has been prepared in an effort to address the pressing need for a common language, i.e. international standard terminology and technical terms to be used in traditional medicine. 

The number of commonly used terms in traditional medicine is estimated to be more than 4000, most of which are included in this book, which is designed for use by students and clinical practitioners and researchers in the Western Pacific Region. 

This terminology will also be useful to assist Member States in the region in developing evidence-based clinical practice guidelines on traditional medicine.

WHO recognizes the people who dedicated their lives to the development of traditional medicine in our Region from ancient times particularly the ancestors who are symbolized as Huangdi and Shennong.

Appreciation is also extended to the experts who attended the meetings on development of International Standard Terminologies held in Beijing, China; Tokyo, Japan; and Daegu, Republic of Korea, as well as the external peer reviewers.

We also wish to extend our gratitude to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea for their financial support, to the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine China, the Japan Liaison of Oriental Medicine and the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, without which we would not have been able to publish this book.