First WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit opens

The opening day began four days of dialogue on how biodiversity sustains health knowledge and practices.

The feature describes contributions from many communities to treatments and health practices.

WHO notes smallpox inoculation in Asia and parts of Africa long before Jenner; the date is the article’s publication date.

WHO describes how Tu Youyou’s team used Chinese medical literature while developing artemisinin.

WHO cites traditions from Mesopotamia, India, China, Madagascar and Mexico while stressing evaluation of effectiveness.

The Indian government and WHO convened practitioners, researchers and policymakers.

WHO’s director-general referred to his experience of traditional practitioners in Ethiopia.

The meeting asked how practices could be studied and integrated responsibly into health systems.

The first WHO Global Traditional Medicine Summit concluded in Gandhinagar after its two-day meeting on 17–18 August 2023.

The closing date of the Gandhinagar meeting marks international discussion of evidence and health systems across diverse knowledge traditions.