UNESCO-EOLSS Online presents peer reviewed scientific chapters related to Medicinal Plants. It is thematically organized archival content in many traditional disciplines and interdisciplinary subjects with including the coverage of transdisciplinary pathways. The contributions are from thousands of scholars from over 100 countries and edited by more than 350 subject experts. It also includes up-to-date coverage of various aspects of sustainable development that are relevant to the current state of the world.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines Indigenous (Traditional) medicine is defined as “the sum total of knowledge, skills and practices based on the theories, beliefs and experiences indigenous to different cultures that are used to maintain health, as well as to prevent, diagnose, improve or treat physical and mental illnesses". The World Health Organization (WHO) welcomes innovations around the world including repurposing drugs, traditional medicines and developing new therapies in the search for potential treatments for COVID-19.
Indigenous medicine comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within various societies before the era of modern medicine. In some Asian and African countries, up to 80% of the population depends on traditional medicine for their primary health care needs. Use of plants as a source of medicine has been an ancient practice and is an important component of the Indigenous health care system which includes traditional African, Ayurveda, Chinese, European, Iranian, Islamic, Korean, Siddha, Tibetian and Unani traditional medicine.
