Can Traditional Medicine Strengthen Modern Healthcare?

Members of the ethnic Dao minority in Lao Cai Province, Viet Nam, go into the forest to pick and gather medicinal herbs and plants.

Ginger and cinnamon are more than just ingredients. Along with other spices, their medicinal value is gaining both attention and legitimacy.

Exploring evidence-based uses of traditional medicine, such as ginger to treat nausea, is among the topics at the second World Health Organization (WHO) summit on traditional, complementary and integrative medicine (TCIM), taking place in India this week.

While most WHO member states report that 40 to 90 per cent of their populations use traditional medicine, only a meagre one per cent of global health funding supports research in this field. Additionally, a WHO survey has shown regional imbalances in the percentage of countries that have a national policy on TCIM.

Why has so little funding been allocated to traditional medicine? And is it a treatment, a lifestyle or something else?

To find out, UN News spoke to Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General of India’s Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), which collaborates with WHO to advance research in the field.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

UN News: How did you get into the field of traditional medicine?

Rabinarayan Acharya: My entry into traditional medicine was shaped early at home. My father was formally trained in both Ayurveda and Sanskrit at a reputed Sanskrit institution in Puri, Odisha, and I grew up exposed to classical texts, philosophy and scholarly traditions. Odisha’s strong living heritage of Ayurveda instilled in me a deep respect for Ayurveda as a knowledge system, not just a treatment modality. This foundation, combined with my science background and honours degree in Botany, naturally led me to pursue Ayurveda as a career focused on research, evidence generation and teaching.

UN News: Is Ayurveda a lifestyle or a treatment?

Mr Acharya: Ayurveda is both a way of life and a system of medicine, but its scope extends far beyond either in isolation. At its core, Ayurveda emphasises healthy living through appropriate lifestyle practices (Vihara), dietetics (Ahara) and ethical conduct (Sadvritta). These principles are designed to maintain homeostasis, prevent disease and promote long-term well-being rather than merely address illness after it occurs. When illness does arise, Ayurveda offers well-structured therapeutic measures aimed not only at symptom relief but at restoring systemic balance.

This holistic orientation aligns closely with conventional public health priorities, such as disease prevention, healthy ageing and the management of chronic lifestyle-related disorders. The principles and practice of Ayurveda are especially relevant in the context of the global shift toward non-communicable diseases, which are largely driven by modifiable risk factors such as unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, stress and environmental exposures.

UN News: WHO’s Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034 aims to strengthen the evidence base for traditional medicine. What role do national institutions play?

Mr Acharya: At CCRAS, our mandate directly addresses the need identified by WHO: while the use of traditional medicine is widespread, robust evidence on safety, effectiveness and appropriate use must be systematically generated.

We do this by designing and conducting methodologically rigorous clinical studies, observational research and public health evaluations rooted in classical Ayurvedic principles, while adhering to contemporary scientific and ethical standards. These initiatives span drug development, clinical research, pharmacology, medicinal plant research, epidemiology and health systems research.

UN News: Less than one per cent of global health research funding goes to traditional medicine. Why is that?

Mr Acharya: This is largely due to structural and methodological factors, not a lack of relevance or demand. Systems such as Ayurveda are complex, individualised and delivered as whole-system interventions, which do not always fit neatly into conventional biomedical research frameworks.

Addressing this will require a strategic shift toward evidence-informed integration, as outlined in the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034. This includes sustained investment in high-quality research demonstrating safety, effectiveness and public health value, as well as embedding validated traditional medicine interventions into national health policies.

UN News: How hopeful are you that more countries will integrate traditional medicine into their health systems?

Mr Acharya: I am cautiously optimistic, and the global momentum is encouraging, particularly as health systems face rising non-communicable diseases, ageing populations and resource constraints.

Integration does not mean replacing conventional care, but adopting a complementary approach in which safe and effective traditional medicine practices align with national health priorities.

UN News: Can you give an example of evidence-based traditional medicine?

Mr Acharya: Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha), traditionally used as an adaptogen in Ayurveda, has been studied as a complementary treatment for mental health. Evidence suggests it may help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety and is generally safe and well tolerated, highlighting its potential in managing mental health disorders.