Managed to get some publicity for the project!

Ministry Urges for Standardization of Traditional Medicine

Arusha Times (Arusha)

NEWS
1 March 2008
Posted to the web 3 March 2008

By Novatus Makunga
Arusha

The ministry of health and social welfare has urged medical researchers to standardized and packaged traditional medicine in a form that is easy to store, distribute and use with highest safety margins.

The Ministry's permanent secretary, Wilson Mukama made the call at a seminar on the promotion of Tanzania's medical plants. It was held in Ngongongare traditional medicine Research Centre in Arumeru district

Mukama said the process was a very important aspect to the validation of traditional medicine in industrial production and commercialization which had not been given proper attention before.

China, he said, has been increasing its efforts to capture global traditional medicine market and it strategically in 2006 set out plans to standardize over 500 traditional Chinese medicines within five years

"This proves how important standardization of traditional medicine is, If one aspires to be competitive and to capture markets outside their own country borders," he said

Validation and standardization of these remedies will further provide the assurance that they have passed the standard tests and therefore are both safe and effective and can be relied upon for treating what they are supposed to do.

Traditional medicines are widely used in Tanzania for treatment of many ailments and appear to be relatively cheaper and more accessible than modern medicines.

Mukama said there is plenty of documentation in Tanzania providing evidence of effectiveness of traditional medicines on many ailments including HIV/AIDS.

Earlier, Project officer of Ngongongare traditional medicine Research Centre, Rossella Della Monica said the project is funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,Cooperazione Italiana Nord Sud (CINS),and (Associazione Africa Futura(AAF). The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is funding the project for over one million Euros.

The project started in January 2006 and is coming to an end in June 2008. However, another cooperation project is currently being prepared, particularly in the field of traditional medicine and scientific research.