Institute for traditional medicines
26 August 2003
South Africa is set to launch the Institute for African Traditional Medicines to research African herbs and evaluate their medicinal value as part of the government's campaign to fight HIV-Aids, tuberculosis and other debilitating diseases.
The Institute, according to Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, will be a reference centre at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and will work in partnership with the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
"This is informed by our own African traditions of using herbs for medicinal purposes for treating sick people," Tshabalala-Msimang said.
The launch of the institute, scheduled for the end of August, comes out of a research programme initiated by the health department and the MRC to test the effectiveness, safety and quality of traditional medicines, as well as to to protect people from unscrupulous conduct and unproven medical claims
within the traditional healing sector.
"We think it is incorrect to use these medicines under the table", Tshabalala-Msimang said. "Let's put them on the table so that we can see which ones are of quality, which ones are safe and so on."
According to the Medical Research Council, an estimated 80% of the population in southern Africa use traditional therapies, with many people reportedly deriving benefits from their use.
The World Health Organisation has stated that traditional medicines need to be evaluated for safety and effectiveness before they can be incorporated into - or excluded from - national health policies.
According to Gilbert Matsabisa, head of the MRC's indigenous knowledge systems unit, the research will give traditional healers a chance to establish good relations with the department and the Council.
"The MRC has put in place systems to safeguard the intellectual property rights of individuals or communities, who may bring forward such
agents for evaluation", Matsabisa said.
He said the Council would conduct tests to evaluate such medicines, develop substances that could be used for chronic conditions – including immune boosters -and provide information on these medicines to the general public.
"The MRC will also serve as a clearing house for any claims that may be made of potential immune modulators and complementary medicines", Matsabisa added.
Source: BuaNews
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