Last week’s workshop on folk and tribal healing practices of Arunachal Pradesh conducted at NEFTU has shown that traditional medicines  still enjoy an  overwhelming acceptance  by the state’s populace even in this 21^st century. It has also emerged that there is now an urgent need to document these treasure troves and save them before they become extinct forever.

Traditional medicines or more correctly Ethnomedicine  which is an amalgamation of the study of traditional medical healthcare-seeking process and healing practices have been the mainstay of healthcare in this region for a long period of time. It is really a wonder to observe how herbs, plants, and roots of wild trees are identified, extracted, used for preparing medicines and applied for the cure of multiple diseases. And what is astonishing is that this treasure of knowledge has been passed on orally from one generation to other without any written document and is still retained by all the state’s tribal communities  who have their individual and unique mechanism and strategy of classification, identification and uses.

Although while thinking about medicine, we visualise an image of the hospital or doctor's office and pills traditional medicines have been in human society for  thousands of years and are still going strong all over world. According to WHO out of the total world’s population living in the developing nations, nearly 80% still relies on traditional medicine to address their primary health care needs.

It is a fact that millions of rural households all over India still use medicinal plants in a self-help mode for whom traditional medicine is the only alternative source of healthcare in absence or lack of  conventional healthcare systems.There is no doubt that Arunachal Pradesh, the largest state in Northeast, recognized as one of the mega biodiversity hotspots of the world has developed its own traditional knowledge in curing various ailments and has so much to offer. But the truth is that the sincere efforts for documenting these marvels have been meagre till now and hence have failed to reach the curricula of the academic world.

It is high time now to document these indigenous knowledge through ethno botanical studies as well as by preserving the biological heritage which is under much threat due to deforestation. Influence of western life styles, reduction in number of traditional healers and the lack of interest of younger generations to carry on the tradition are also causes of concern.

The health care system in India has always displayed a pluralistic character with co-existence of multiple systems of traditional medicine along with biomedicine. But since the traditional system needs to be revived immediately, a little extra attention is needed. It’s a rich legacy which must be saved at any cost. 

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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