Strengthening Public Health Education on Indigenous Medicine for Wellness and Prosperity
This article discusses the importance of strengthening public health education on indigenous medicine for wellness and prosperity in India. The article highlights the availability of hundreds of medicinal plants in the gardens of households in Kerala, which have been scientifically proven to have medicinal value. However, the knowledge of their medicinal properties is not a part of public health education, and these plants are marketed in the form of expensive tablets, which are unaffordable to the rural population. The article explores the exploitation and export of natural resources, including medicinal plants, which have resulted in the rural population remaining ignorant of the medicinal value of the drugs in their gardens. The article suggests that evidence-based knowledge of indigenous medicine needs to be a part of public health education, especially in the primordial prevention of diseases. The article also highlights the role of ASHA workers in educating the community about the medicinal properties of the plants that are widely available in the community. The article concludes by emphasizing the need to gear up decolonial, democratic community-based, knowledge-oriented preventive strategies in public health for the wellness and prosperity of people.
10/6/20232 min read
Strengthening Public Health Education on Indigenous Medicine for Wellness and Prosperity
India is home to hundreds of medicinal plants, many of which have been scientifically proven to have medicinal value for bone healing and degeneration[1][3]. However, despite the availability of these plants in the gardens of many households in Kerala, the knowledge of their medicinal properties is not a part of public health education. Instead, these plants are marketed in the form of expensive tablets, which are unaffordable to the rural population[2][4]. This article aims to explore the importance of strengthening public health education on indigenous medicine for wellness and prosperity.
The exploitation and export of natural resources, including medicinal plants, have resulted in the rural population remaining ignorant of the medicinal value of the drugs in their gardens. Evidence-based knowledge of indigenous medicine needs to be a part of public health education, especially in the primordial prevention of diseases. ASHA workers can play a crucial role in educating the community about the medicinal properties of the plants that are widely available in the community[2][5].
Social scientists working on ethnomedicine are marketing their knowledge in the form of literature works that are unaffordable to even the middle-class people, making such knowledge affordable only to the elite community. Wellness and traditional medicine are marketed as wellness resorts and expensive retreatment tourist centers, further widening the gap between the rich and the poor[2][5].
In the emerging stage of AI-driven natural product-inspired drug discovery, global recognition, and global market demand for indigenous drugs, it is essential to strengthen Indian democratic and people's rights-driven policy and regulation in public health. This will help educate people about indigenous medicine for their own self-care and wellness. India needs to gear up decolonial, democratic community-based, knowledge-oriented preventive strategies in public health for the wellness and prosperity of people[6].
In conclusion, public health education on indigenous medicine is crucial for the wellness and prosperity of the rural population in India. The exploitation and export of natural resources, including medicinal plants, have resulted in the rural population remaining ignorant of the medicinal value of the drugs in their gardens. ASHA workers can play a crucial role in educating the community about the medicinal properties of the plants that are widely available in the community. Social scientists need to make their knowledge affordable to the middle-class people, and wellness and traditional medicine should be marketed as affordable self-care options. India needs to gear up decolonial, democratic community-based, knowledge-oriented preventive strategies in public health for the wellness and prosperity of people.
Citations:
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3343389/
[2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2225411017300718
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7649020/
[4] https://www.exportersindia.com/product-detail/cissus-quadrangularis-3967183.htm
[5] https://www.mdpi.com/2673-9992/21/1/20
[6] https://www.iafaforallergy.com/dravya-herbs-part-b/asthishrunkhala-cissus-quadrangularis/
