Traditional medicine refers to health practices, approaches, knowledge
and beliefs incorporating plant, animal and mineral based medicines,
spiritual therapies, manual techniques and exercises, applied
singularly or in combination to treat, diagnose and prevent illnesses
or maintain well-being. In the last decade traditional medicine has
become very popular in Cameroon, partly due to the long unsustainable
economic situation in the country. The high cost of drugs and increase
in drug resistance to common diseases like malaria, bacteria infections
and other sexually transmitted diseases has caused the therapeutic
approach to alternative traditional medicine as an option for concerted
search for new chemical entities (NCE). The World Health Organisation
(WHO) in collaboration with the Cameroon Government has put in place a
strategic platform for the practice and development of TM in Cameroon.
This platform aims at harmonizing the traditional medicine practice in
the country, create a synergy between TM and modern medicine and to
institutionalize a more harmonized integrated TM practices by the year
2012 in Cameroon. An overview of the practice of TM past, present and
future perspectives that underpins the role in sustainable poverty
alleviation has been discussed. This study gives an insight into the
strategic plan and road map set up by the Government of Cameroon for
the organisational framework and research platform for the practice and
development of TM, and the global partnership involving the management
of TM in the country
