Folk medicine to be tracked - Short Takes: News at Deadline - World Health Organization - Brief Article

Physician Executive, July-August, 2002 by James A. Hawkins

Will that root heal you or kill you?

That's what the World Health Organization, a branch of the United Nations, would like to find out.

WHO. is tracking the efficacy of folk medicine. Since much of the world's population relies on non-Western medical treatments, there needs to be a better understanding of which folk remedies are safe and effective and which are dangerous.

Dr. Ebrahim Samba, WHO's regional director for Africa, says, "We must act quickly to evaluate safety, efficacy, quality and standardization."

There's fear that some effective native medicinal plants may be in danger of being wiped out. The group hopes to catalog all folk remedies and at the same time ensure that the plants are saved in botanical gardens.

Currently, researchers are trying to inventory the studies that have been already been done before launching any new research projects.