Safety standards needed for traditional cures

Safety standards needed for traditional cures

More than 80 percent of people in developing countries use traditional medicine for primary health care, but are at risk because of a lack of safety standards, research carried out by Consumer International (CI) said on Monday.

The organization of consumer watchdogs noted the annual global market for traditional medicine has grown to an estimated US$60 billion from $43 billion in 1995.

CI has documented more than 100 traditional therapies across the Asia Pacific, including acupuncture, reflexology and Tibetan medicine.

"Despite its enormous commercial potential, traditional and complementary medicine is still not regulated by any law," Dr Sothi Rachagan, CI's regional director for the Asia Pacific, told a weekend meeting in Singapore.

"Moreover, its products are neither categorized as a food substance nor medicine in many countries."

CI is seeking to develop proposals for the protection of consumers of traditional medicine products. -- DPA