Problem
Ignorance of traditional herbal remedies
Other Names:
Decline of herbal medicineDisregard of folk medicine
Underuse of naturopathy
Ignorance of traditional medical practices
Ignorance of traditional plant remedies
Nature:
Between 25,000 and 75,000 flowering plant species have been used in traditional medicine throughout the world. Only about one percent of these have been acknowledged through scientific studies to have real therapeutic value, though many are effective in producing a placebo effect. As many as 40,000 of the earth's 265,000 species of plants may have undiscovered medicinal value for humans. Many are already used by tribal healers, but this knowledge is unwritten and can be lost within a few generations.
Incidence:
Traditional medicine is still used by 70% of the African population. During the Gulf War, European doctors treated some wounds with a sugar paste that traces back to Egyptian battlefield medicine of 4,000 years ago. Most native cultures have systems of traditional medicine which are suppressed during the process of cultural invasion and domination, as has happened in many colonized countries and in Tibet under communist China.
Related Problems:
Poisonous plantsCluster headachesAldrenoleukodystrophyNeglected food resourcesDisharmonies of the bodyCultural bias in medicineHealth risks of alcohol consumption Aggravates:
Malaria Reduced By:
WitchcraftNew Age spirituality
Subject(s):
Education → Educational levelHealth Care → Naturopathy, holistic medicine
Health Care → Treatment
Medicine → Medicine
Plant Life → Plants
Plant Life → Plants yielding stimulants
Recreation → Folk traditions
Related UN Sustainable Development Goals:
Problem Type:
E: Emanations of other problems Date of last update
04.10.2020 – 22:48 CEST