We at TICAH believe that it is important for us to understand the application and the effectiveness of traditional and herbal therapies, and a great need to recognize and share research which has taken place. Therefore, TICAH works to help create more opportunities for exchange and discussion of research on traditional approaches to care at international and regional venues. We also provide technical advice to the development of research on traditional and herbal remedies, and links between kindred policy and research efforts, particularly in Asia and Africa.

Traditional Medicine Research & Policy

We think it is important to recognize that what constitutes "evidence" differs from one scientific tradition to another, and that treatment in most traditional medical systems around the world is tailored to each patient and is holistic in nature. This creates an added challenge to us so that we design research which is scientific and accepted by the larger international public health community, while also being true to the paradigm from which the therapy originates.

TICAH has been involved in the testing of an herbal supplement called Taibao which was developed in Kenya to treat AIDS and its opportunistic infections. We are researching the use of herbs as part of AIDS care in a range of clinical settings in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. After very promising results from some of these earlier studies, we are working with the Integrative Medicine Foundation (IMF) in New York to stimulate attention to the need for more research of this kind. With IMF and others, we are developing improved research protocols and approaches for evaluating the effectiveness of traditional medicines currently in use in Africa and Asia. Our work focuses on encouraging more research, making treatment more effective and inclusive, and raising the resources necessary to these tasks.