The World Health Organization (WHO) is launching an unprecedented global effort to bring traditional medicine into the evidence-driven era, powered by artificial intelligence, frontier technologies and stronger international regulation. During this week’s Second Global Summit on Traditional Medicine in New Delhi, WHO leaders, scientists and policymakers from more than 100 countries are exploring how centuries-old healing systems can be rigorously validated, safely integrated into modern care, and scaled through digital innovation.
Traditional medicine (TM), spanning codified practices such as Ayurveda and Chinese medicine to local Indigenous knowledge systems, remains the primary source of care for 40 to 90% of the population in almost 90% of WHO Member States. For millions worldwide, particularly where access to essential services is limited, it is often the first, and sometimes only, form of health support.
Yet its scientific grounding remains uneven. Many remedies lack robust clinical validation, and rising global demand has in some cases fueled unsafe practices, from unregulated formulations to wildlife trafficking. That gap between widespread use and limited evidence is exactly what WHO aims to close.
Modern science meets millennia of knowledge
“Traditional medicine is not a thing of the past,” stressed WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “By uniting the wisdom of millennia with modern science and technology, from AI to genomics, we can unlock safer, smarter and more sustainable health solutions.”
WHO sees a unique opportunity: more than half of Western pharmaceuticals originally stem from natural products. Aspirin traces its lineage to willow bark; chemotherapy agents derive from Madagascar’s rosy periwinkle; and artemisinin, the world’s most effective antimalarial, emerged from ancient Chinese medical texts. Now, frontier technologies can accelerate evidence generation at a scale not previously possible.
AI as a catalyst for scientific validation
According to WHO Chief Scientist Dr. Sylvie Briand, AI can rapidly analyze complex herbal compounds, model drug interactions, and differentiate beneficial molecular structures from harmful ones. “Artificial intelligence can screen millions of compounds, helping us understand the architecture of herbal products and maximize benefit while minimizing adverse effects,” Briand noted.
Advanced neuroimaging now reveals how practices such as meditation and acupuncture affect brain networks, offering objective physiological markers to complement traditional knowledge.
Earlier this month, the WHO released its newly reaffirmed Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020–2027, where WHO calls on governments to accelerate national planning, strengthen governance, and embed digital solutions into resilient, equitable health systems. A further update, covering 2028–2033, is already in preparation.
Building global evidence infrastructure
One of the Summit’s major announcements is the launch of the Traditional Medicine Global Library, the world’s largest digital repository of TM research. The platform hosts 1.6 million scientific records, from clinical studies and regulatory guidelines to ethnomedical documentation. It will also offer equity-focused access for low-income countries via the Research4Life program.
This library is meant to close the research gap: despite TM’s importance, it currently receives less than 1% of global health research funding.
Strengthening regulation and integration
With 4.6 billion people lacking access to essential health services and 2 billion facing financial hardship when seeking care, WHO argues that integrating safe, validated traditional medicine into national health systems could improve access, reduce costs and relieve pressure on overburdened health systems.
However, integration requires:
- Robust regulatory frameworks for safety and quality
- Standardized scientific validation
- Respect for biodiversity and Indigenous rights
- Ethical and equitable benefit-sharing
Emerging evidence suggests that properly integrated TM can support prevention, complement biomedical treatments and reduce inappropriate use of antibiotics. Key in the fight against antimicrobial resistance.
A call for global collaboration
WHO is urging countries to join a global consortium to accelerate implementation of the Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025 - 2034, focused on evidence, regulation, digital innovation and sustainable development. New commitments from governments and international organizations are expected during the Summit.
For Dr. Shyama Kuruvilla, Director ad interim of WHO’s Global Traditional Medicine Centre, the convergence of AI, advanced biology and ancestral knowledge marks a turning point. “It is frontier science that allows us to connect the past and the future,” she said. “This is how traditional medicine can contribute at scale to the flourishing of people and the planet.”
As digital health, genomics and AI reshape global care, WHO’s push signals a new chapter: one in which traditional medicine is no longer seen as an alternative system, but as a scientifically validated, ethically governed and technologically supported pillar of global health.
