ABSTRACT
This chapter uses the term traditional medicine as defined by the world health organization (WHO) and outlines the role of traditional medicine in health care. Many products based on traditional medical knowledge are important sources of income, food, and health care for many inhabitants of developing countries. In addition to the contribution of traditional medicine to therapeutic agents, traditional health practitioners in the African region contribute to health-care coverage as they generally far outnumber Western-trained medical doctors. Upon the WHO Regional Director for Africa's recommendation, in 2002, the WHO Director General approved the institution of African Traditional Medicine Day on August 31 of each year. In 1999, the Forty-Ninth session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa held in Namibia adopted a technical document and its Resolution on essential drugs in the WHO African region: Situation and trend analysis. Since 2003, all countries have been celebrating the African Traditional Medicine Day.
