Research on Traditional Medicine: What Has Been Done, the Difficulties, and Possible Solutions

Traditional medicine (TM) is being used more frequently all over the world. However most often these are choices made by the patient. Integrating TM into mainstream health care would require research to understand the efficacy, safety, and mechanism of action of TM systems. This paper describes research done on TM and difficulties encountered in researching TM, especially when an attempt is made to conform to the model for conventional medicine. The research articles were PubMed searched and categorized as experimental, quasiexperimental, reviews, descriptive, historical, interviews, case histories, and abstract not available. The last part of the report provides suggestions to make research on TM more acceptable and useful, with the ultimate goal of integrating TM into mainstream healthcare with sufficient knowledge about the efficacy, safety, and mechanism of action of TM systems

An Insight on Nutraceutical Influences of Spice and Condiments: Serve as a Flavor and Immunity Enhancer from Ages

Spice is a dried aromatic or pungent plant substance such as root, stem, bark, leaves, bud, flower, fruit, seeds, etc., used as a flavor modifier in many culinary practices. A historical wisdom supports their use as an ingredient for flavoring the food and medicinal uses in various kind of healing systems. Spice and condiments not only enhance the sensory quality of food whereas they boost the immune system and give healthy nutrition which prevents the risk of chronic diseases. The ancient study also reveals that an adequate amount of daily intake of spices balances the three doshas (tridoshas) of the human body such as Vata, Pitta and Kapha. The imbalance of these doshas effect directly immune health and makes the body susceptible to disease. These plants have special chemical compounds which are responsible for their aromatic or pungent flavor and therapeutic actions. Due to the richness of phyto-chemicals, spice & condiments supports pharmaceutical, cosmetics, perfumery and several other industries world-widely

Medicinal plants of Seijosa circle, Pakke-Kessang district, Arunachal Pradesh, India

During plant exploration and survey of Seijosa Circle (forest area), in Pakke Kessang district of Arunachal Pradesh (2018-2019) the authors collected ca. 3000 plant samples from different localities. Of these, 219 species belonging to 184 genera and 84 families are used as medicinal plants. The information about the medicinal uses of these plants has been gathered during field trips of Seijosa from local inhabitants. The plants are arranged alphabetically family-wise, followed by their scientific name, regional name, habit, plant parts used, medicinal uses and accession number. These plant species are utilized by local people for various ailments in the Seijosa forest area

Medicinal plants of Seijosa circle, Pakke-Kessang district, Arunachal Pradesh, India

101-115During plant exploration and survey of Seijosa Circle (forest area), in Pakke Kessang district of Arunachal Pradesh (2018-2019) the authors collected ca. 3000 plant samples from different localities. Of these, 219 species belonging to 184 genera and 84 families are used as medicinal plants. The information about the medicinal uses of these plants has been gathered during field trips of Seijosa from local inhabitants. The plants are arranged alphabetically family-wise, followed by their scientific name, regional name, habit, plant parts used, medicinal uses and accession number. These plant species are utilized by local people for various ailments in the Seijosa forest area

Training a fit-for-purpose rural health workforce for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs): how do drivers and enablers of rural practice intention differ between learners from LMICs and high income countries?

Equity in health outcomes for rural and remote populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is limited by a range of socio-economic, cultural and environmental determinants of health. Health professional education that is sensitive to local population needs and that attends to all elements of the rural pathway is vital to increase the proportion of the health workforce that practices in underserved rural and remote areas. The Training for Health Equity Network (THEnet) is a community-of-practice of 13 health professional education institutions with a focus on delivering socially accountable education to produce a fit-for-purpose health workforce. The THEnet Graduate Outcome Study is an international prospective cohort study with more than 6,000 learners from nine health professional schools in seven countries (including four LMICs; the Philippines, Sudan, South Africa and Nepal). Surveys of learners are administered at entry to and exit from medical school, and at years 1, 4, 7, and 10 thereafter. The association of learners' intention to practice in rural and other underserved areas, and a range of individual and institutional level variables at two time points—entry to and exit from the medical program, are examined and compared between country income settings. These findings are then triangulated with a sociocultural exploration of the structural relationships between educational and health service delivery ministries in each setting, status of postgraduate training for primary care, and current policy settings. This analysis confirmed the association of rural background with intention to practice in rural areas at both entry and exit. Intention to work abroad was greater for learners at entry, with a significant shift to an intention to work in-country for learners with entry and exit data. Learners at exit were more likely to intend a career in generalist disciplines than those at entry however lack of health policy and unclear career pathways limits the effectiveness of educational strategies in LMICs. This multi-national study of learners from medical schools with a social accountability mandate confirms that it is possible to produce a health workforce with a strong intent to practice in rural areas through attention to all aspects of the rural pathway