Importance of Traditional Medicine

There are traditional medicines provided by herbalists or herbal medicine practitioners like the hilot and albularyo. Some legitimate traditional herbal medicine practitioners practice within the limitations of their training. Some of them have their training under the Department of Health.

Herbalists base their health treatments on the medicinal qualities of plants. Plants have been used for medicinal purposes since our earliest beginnings. Today, plants are used in many commercially prepared drug preparations as capsules, tablets, or syrups after extensive analysis or studies.
Medicinal plants like: lagundi, oregano, sorosoro, guave leaves offer an alternative for costly medicines. The use of these plants have scientific basis and we have many of these plants available in our backyards.

The hilot and albularyo are also important herbal medicine practitioners in the community especially in areas with no doctor, midwife, and other health professionals, provided that they do not go beyond their limitations. Diseases that need medical; treatment should be referred to proper medical specialists.

Remember that careful analysis of the treatment procedure and relative risks to the patient should always be considered.