Description :

Can herbal medicine promotion improve primary health care ? This synthesis of studies in Ghana and Thailand explores the related questions of availability, rational drug use and factors influencing promotion and use of herbal medicines.

Implementation of adequate government policies on traditional medicine, primary health care and essential drugs are seen as vital. The health care system also has a major impact. Clinic-oriented and community-oriented approaches ares contrasted ; the latter method, in which information is spread through village health workers, community organizations, and traditional practitioners, is seen as the most effective by far. However, the authors also argue that since self-care is the most used form of treatment, it is a mistake to focus –as do many government programs for promotion of herbal medicine- only on drugs that are formally prescribed. Emphasis should instead be placed on safe and effective use of both modern and herbal drugs in self treatment.