The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called on governments and health stakeholders to adopt evidence-based methods in integrating traditional medicine into modern healthcare systems.
The call was made on Wednesday as the global health body opened a three-day international conference on traditional medicine in New Delhi, India.
The meeting focuses on how emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, can be used to scientifically assess age-old healing practices.
WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said traditional medicine remains widely used across cultures and should not be dismissed as outdated. He noted that growing global demand makes it necessary to subject such practices to scientific scrutiny to ensure safety and effectiveness.
Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in a recorded address, said the conference would strengthen global efforts to unlock the potential of traditional medicine. Modi, a long-time advocate of yoga and indigenous health systems, has supported the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine established in Gujarat in 2022.
Head of the centre, Shyama Kurvilla, said the reliance on traditional remedies is a global reality, particularly in regions with limited access to conventional healthcare. She explained that in many countries, traditional medicine serves as the first or only form of treatment for large segments of the population.
Kurvilla stressed that WHO’s goal is not to replace modern medicine but to ensure traditional practices are safe, scientifically informed and properly regulated. She added that many modern drugs, including aspirin and some cancer treatments, were developed from natural sources originally used in traditional medicine.
The WHO also announced plans to launch a comprehensive digital library containing over 1.6 million research records on traditional medicine to improve global knowledge-sharing and strengthen scientific evidence.
WHO Chief Scientist, Dr Sylvie Briand, said artificial intelligence can help analyse complex herbal compounds, predict drug interactions and reduce adverse effects. She also noted that advanced imaging technologies are providing new insights into how practices such as acupuncture and meditation influence the human body.
Kurvilla described the use of frontier science as a bridge between ancient knowledge and modern healthcare, adding that innovation presents a major opportunity to safely integrate traditional medicine into contemporary health systems.