Applications of Sustainable Development
February 26, 2008
Nashely Vargas
David Hernandez
Christine Clark
Jessica Breitfeller
Literature Review: Traditional Medicine
I: What is Traditional Medicine?
Traditional Medicine is referred as the ancient medicine of indigenous people. It is known as “allopathic”. According to Patrimoine Culturel Immatériel, traditional medicine is define as, “the sum total of the knowledge, skills and practices based on the theories, beliefs and experiences indigenous to different cultures, whether explicable or not, used in the maintenance of health, as well as in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illnesses. The terms complementary/alternative/non-conventional medicine are used interchangeably with traditional medicine in some countries”(2005). Nonetheless, traditional medicine is a solid amalgam of active practice and ancestral experience. These health practices is vary greatly from country to country and from region to region world wide. Here in Belize traditional medicines is recognized and classified as the “knowledge property of the different cultures in the communities which is absolutely respected” (Ellis, 2003). In life there are several different threatening health situations; too often western medicine is utilized while traditionalis dismissed despite there being possible natural and herbal cures. Clearly alternative medicine and knowledge isvast and undeniably has positive features and effects which improve the quality of life especially for those suffering from both minor or incurable illnesses and diseases. Traditional medicine is practice mainly by indigenous people; strides must be taken in order in order to protect and preserve the traditional knowledge for this also helps to conserve natural resources and ensures some environmental as well as potential economic sustainability for the country.
II: Traditional Medicine vs. Western Medicine
Western Medicine seems to have followed the norm of ‘doing’ away with the old. The old is viewed as eccentric and thus worth of being ignored and if possible wipedout completely. This is the same approach that western medicine has taken in regards to traditional medicine. Over the past years scholars and others have begun to explore the reasons behind these two systems’ refusal to embrace one another and work towards a comprehensive, more holistic system of medicine.
It is disheartening to having to face the reality that Traditional Medicine and Western Medicine fail to join hands in an effort to peruse greater achievements in the medical field. Traditional medicine is the oldest most tried and tested form of medicine. In a sense it is degrading to refer to it as an "alternative", since it forms the basis of all medicine - conventional drugs, homeopathic medicine, Chinese medicines, etc. It is the original medicine, the mother of all remedies used today (Traditional Medicine – The Mother of All Medicines). Further more; Traditional Medicine - The Mother of All Medicines reports, that Traditional medicine has been used by all cultures for centuries and is still the main form of medical treatment among 80% of the world's population. So it is sad to hear some doctors describing traditional medicine as quackery since many of today's drugs (e.g. quinine, reserpine, ephedrine, ipecac) come directly from plants while most synthetic drugs are based on chemicals extracted from herbs. Plants are one of the most important elements used in Traditional Medicine.
Traditional and Western Medicine can be said to have different philosophic approach to diseases. While traditional medicine looks at all the aspects of the cause of a disease, Western medicine focuses its attention on the body alone. The Centre for Natural and Traditional Medicines reports that traditional medicine practitioner focus on the entire individual. Zimmerman (2000) reports that while Western medicine is a sort of crisis intervention medicine, with its strength lying in its trauma care and therapies for acute problems, traditional medicine has a long standing viewpoint of wellness as “stability”, using things around you, your mind, your body and your spirit. Montaocean relates traditional medicine as centering on metaphysical causes such as discontented gods or ancestors spirits and apparent disease. Outreach Services Newsletter further states that this type of medicine tries to ultimately reinstate the individual to a harmonious relationship with the social order. Western medicine on the other hand strictly restricts the locality of the disease to the body of the individual. The strategies employed by the Western system are more focused on the individual and adhere strictly to rigorous scientific standards of understanding the disease. The difference in approach can be said to be the major cause as to why these two systems refuse to be compatible. It seems that an attempt to bring these two to compromise and join their strengths in enhancing the discoveries and achievements of the medical field is rather futile.
The approaches taken by Traditional Medicine and Western Medicine may be different, however these to dynamic systems should try to put aside their differences and seek to compromise in an effort to move the medical field to greater advancement.
III: Traditional Medicine in Belize
There seems to be a long lineage of traditional healing/medicine in Belize that has proven difficult to access. The rainforests and jungles of Belize are full of lush tropical plants that have been used medicinally for hundreds of years. An attempt at gaining access to these traditions seems to emphasize the need to preserve them as there is not much information readily available.
Don Elijio Panti was a Belizean traditional healer who practiced Mayan healing techniques. It seems that his research is well-known and widely used in Belize as he was often mentioned in articles pertaining to traditional medicine. He was a co-founder of The Ix Chel Tropical Research foundation a project whose objective is “to survey the forests of Belize for the collection of medicinal plants for screening against AIDS and Cancer in association with the U.S. National Cancer Institute” (Wikipedia, 2007). Much of the research collected by Don Elijio Panti has been analyzed for use in contemporary medicine.
In 1981 a woman, Dr. Rosita Arvigo moved to Belize with her family in hopes of starting a farm that would preserve homeopathic medicine. “Dr. Rosita” studied along side Elijio Panti and created a 35 acre farm known as Ix Chel Farms where she grew food and herbs. She now works at the Belize College of Agriculture teaching herbal medicine(Belize Alternative Medicine). She is also the founder of Rainforest Remedies which manufactures herbs into liquid form used to make tinctures and traditional teas.
There does seem to be an effort to preserve traditional medicine in Belize although it may not be of top priority. “In 1993, the Belizean government established the world's first medicinal plant reserve. This 6,000 acre reserve, dedicated to the preservation of potential lifesaving herbs, is called the Terra Nova Medicinal Plant Reserve. Seedling plants ‘rescued’ from rainforest areas in danger of destruction from development are sent to Terra Nova for transplanting. The reserve is run by the Belize Association of Traditional Healers” (Belize Traditional Medicine).
As stated on the Cornerstone Foundation Website: “Traditional medicine is actively practiced in Belize, but there is little structure to the network of practitioners and no locally organized method of documentation. The indigenous practices handed down through generations will only persevere if the next generation recognizes their value.”
IV: Threats to Traditional Medicine: Globalization, Deforestation, & Bioprospecting
Over the past few decades the globalization has accelerated at an alarming rate, causing peripheral or “third world” countries to enter into world economies and compounding development. As these countries and people enter into Westernized discourses, acculturation occurs and hencethe loss of traditional knowledge and livelihoods follows. Such is the case with traditional medicine. The threats to such knowledge are many. With development comes the loss of forested land, natural resources, and species biodiversity. Further concern stems from the blatant exploitation of this knowledge and the peoples that have safeguarded it for centuries, as “outsiders” utilize this information for commercialization and profit.
Deforestation and the degradation of the topical rainforests are occurring at an alarming rate. Among the top causes of deforestation are commercial logging for hardwood timber, as well as for fuel, charcoal, and paper products. Agricultural techniques such as slash and burn are also destroying the forest in order to accommodate grazing lands and subsistence farming (Taylor, 2004). Pesek notes that this has led to, “approximately 0.8% of intact forests…being lost annually and total annual rainforest losses rang[ing] from 5 million to over 20 million hectares” (2007). Some have estimated that with deforestation comes the loss of over 100 plant, animal and insect species per day; this would amount to about 50,000 species a year. This loss of species is also accompanied by the loss of many possible cures for life-threatening diseases(Raintree Nutrition, 1996). Currently, over a hundred of the prescriptions drugs sold worldwide are derived from plant resources found within these endangered forests. It is believed that at least “25% of Western pharmaceuticals are derived from rainforest ingredients”; however,“less that 1% of these tropical trees and plants have been tested by scientists” (Raintree Nutrition, 1996). This type of large loss of biodiversity has the potential to greatly hinder the practice of traditional medicine.
Furthermore, deforestation does not only affect the biodiversity or the flora and fauna; hundreds of the thousands of indigenous peoples who have remained dependent upon the rainforests of the world for their homes and livelihoods and now being forcibly removed from this land in order for development to occur. The indigenous peoples are their native lands are inherently connected, they are inseparable. Yet, when removal does occur, the loss of this connectivity occurs and traditional knowledge is explicitly lost as well.
The early 1990’s gave rising to the biotech industry which has since helped to play a role within the exploration of traditional knowledge and medicines. Over the past two decades, bioprospecting—more aggressively known as biopiracy—has become an overarching threat to traditional medicine practitioners. “Both terms refer to the collection of biological matter from biologically diverse regions by corporations for the purpose of extracting useful genetic or biochemical resources that have a profitable and patentable commercial application” (Ballvé, 2006). Often the collection of this material and knowledge is derived from traditional healers who never receive credit or compensation. Such is the case that happened with Mr. Don Cocom. This traditional Maya medicine man has previously sought to record his knowledge of Belizean rainforest plants and remedies; however, after divulged this information to his help, it was stolen, never to be properly recorded. Furthermore he never received justice or compensation.
Despite these numerous threats several people and organizations are advocating methods and means by which to minimize them and therefore increase the longevity of traditional medicine and healing. Many advocate good governance as this has the potential to help create better conservation ethic and stimulate sustainable development (Pesek, 2007). Others advocate the need to incorporate and honor traditional healing as a bonafide skill as this knowledge and expertise is vital even within bioprospecting. Robert Goodland of the World Bank stated, "Indigenous knowledge is essential for the use, identification and cataloguing of the [tropical] biota” (Goodland cited in Taylor, 2004). Like other he also believes that great efforts should be taken to protect indigenous groups in general: “as tribal groups disappear, their knowledge vanishes with them. The preservation of these groups is a significant economic opportunity for the [developing] nation, not a luxury” (Goodland cited in Taylor, 2004). In order to maintain traditional medicinal knowledge it is further suggested that indigenous research initiatives be instated, that the document traditional knowledge take place, and that cultural education programs be started to perpetuate such knowledge.
V: Relevance:
Obviously traditional knowledge and medicine is of great value and its loss would be detrimental not only to local communities and indigenous but to populations as whole. Hence it is the objective of our group’s project will be to aid in the preservation of such knowledge through identifying, describing, and cataloguing medicinal plants and remedies found within the MasewalForestGarden and Medicine Trail, run by Don Cocom. Mr. Cocom possesses much knowledge; over two decades he led visitors through the garden and also shares his knowledge and expertise by teaching remedies and plant identification to local school children. The specific project has yet to be determined although both a multi-paged brochure or children’s workbook have been discussed as ideas. These could possibly include the remedies and uses for the most common plants, or possible the most common disease. Other resources such as the Belize Association of Traditional Healers shall be further explored in order to help with the meeting the main goal of the project which is to preserve and share Mr. Cocom’s traditional ecological knowledge.
Works Cited:
(1991). The need for cooperation between modern and traditional medicine. Journal of the American Botanical Council, 24, 30.
(1996). Rain forest facts. Feb 26, 2008, from
(2005). Traditional medicine: definition. Feb25, 2008, from
Ballvé , T. (2007). Bioprospecting and Biopiracy in the Americas. 26 Feb 2008, from
Belizean alternative medicine. Feb 25, 2008, from <
Elijio Panti. ( 2007). In Wikipedia [Web]. Feb 25, 2008, from
Ellis, L. (2003). Traditional medicine: an under-utilized resource. 25 Feb 2008, from
Health in Belize: changing lifestyles. Feb 26, 2008, from
Pesek, T. (2007). Itzama: revival of traditional healing by the Q’eqchi’ Maya of southern Belize.The Journal of the American Botanical Council, 76, 44.
Taylor, L. (2004).The healing power of rainforest herbsGardenCityPark: Square One Publishers INC.
Traditional medicine—the mother of all medicines. Feb 24, 2008, from
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