The World Health Organisation has called on governments to adopt evidence-based and scientific approaches to traditional medicine as it opened a major global conference in New Delhi on Wednesday.
The three-day meeting is focused on how modern technology, including Artificial Intelligence, can be used to examine, regulate and validate traditional healing practices that have been used for centuries.
According to the WHO, the goal is to make traditional medicine safer and more compatible with modern healthcare systems without ignoring its cultural importance.
“Traditional medicine is not a thing of the past,” WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said in a video message released ahead of the conference.
“There is a growing demand for traditional medicine across countries, communities, and cultures,” he added.
India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, also welcomed the conference, saying it would strengthen global efforts to unlock the benefits of traditional medicine.
The Indian leader, a long-time supporter of yoga and indigenous health practices, backed the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine, which was launched in 2022 in Gujarat, his home state.
Speaking on the relevance of traditional medicine worldwide, the head of the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine, Shyama Kurvilla, said its use remains widespread.
“Reliance on traditional remedies is a global reality,” Kurvilla said, noting that between 40 and 90 per cent of people in about 90 per cent of WHO member states depend on traditional medicine.
“With half the world’s population lacking access to essential health services, traditional medicine is often the closest — or only care — available for many people,” she added.
The WHO defines traditional medicine as knowledge, skills and practices developed over time to maintain health and treat physical and mental illness.
However, the agency warned that many traditional treatments have not been scientifically proven, while rising demand for certain products has contributed to illegal wildlife trade involving endangered species such as tigers, rhinos and pangolins.
“WHO’s role is to help countries ensure that, as with any other medicine, traditional medicine is safe, evidence-informed, and equitably integrated into health systems,” Kurvilla said.
She also explained that modern medicine already draws heavily from nature, stating that “40 per cent or more of biomedical Western medicine and pharmaceuticals are derived from natural products.”
Kurvilla cited aspirin, which originated from willow tree bark, contraceptive pills developed from yam plant roots, and childhood cancer treatments linked to Madagascar’s rosy periwinkle flower.
The WHO also pointed to artemisinin, a key anti-malaria drug, which was developed using ancient Chinese medical texts.
Experts at the conference said new technologies are creating fresh opportunities to scientifically test traditional remedies.
Describing the moment as transformative, Kurvilla said, “It’s a huge opportunity, and industry has realised this.”
The WHO announced plans to launch what it described as the world’s largest digital library on traditional medicine, containing about 1.6 million scientific records to support research and knowledge-sharing.
WHO Chief Scientist, Dr Sylvie Briand, said Artificial Intelligence could play a key role in analysing complex herbal mixtures and possible drug interactions.
“Artificial intelligence can screen millions of compounds, helping us understand the structure of herbal products and extract relevant components to maximise benefit and reduce harmful effects,” Briand said.
She added that advanced imaging tools, including brain scans, are also helping scientists understand how practices like meditation and acupuncture affect the body.
Kurvilla said the blend of old knowledge and new science could shape the future of healthcare.
“It is frontier science that is allowing us to build this bridge, connecting the past and the future,” she said.
