Traditional Medicine in Thailand

          Long before the application of modern medicine, traditional medicine has been presented in Thailand. It is the health care system that sumed up total of knowledge ,skills and practices of health care, unnecessary to be explicable in the context of modern medicine but recognizable by people in maintain whole life, community and environment. One hundred years ago, the government attempted to introduce the western medicine to cover all parts of Thailand. The reliance of traditional medical service is predominant among the poor in rural areas, and where modern health service provided by the government may not yet be fully acceptable for people. The western medicine was developed recently and led to the limited use of traditional medicine. Eventhough in 1977, the government agencies regained their interest in traditional medicine and medicinal plants after negligence for a long time. As a result of WHO conference on indigenous medicine and the announcement of Alma Ata urging member countries to included medicinal plants in primary health care system. Since then Thai government has integrated the medicinal plants in its National Economic and Social Development Plan the use of medicinal plants and traditional medicine in the primary health care and the promotion of research and development of drugs from medicinal plants. In 1994, the Department of Medical Service established the National Instituted of Thai Traditional Medicine to be responsible for traditional medicine program. But it has just been the pilot projects to set up traditional medicine in health service.