Report shows, every person in the world practices traditional medicine at leat once in his/her life. In recent years, traditional medicine sysytems are gaining popularity worldwide as alternative and complementary therapies and tremedously spreading throughout the world. Despite having immense potentialities to capture global markets, traditional medicine (TM), especially Ayurveda in Nepal has been remaining stagnant since long time back. Consumption of herbal products in the global market is significantly multiplying by day. However, Nepal which is a treasure of indigenous knowledge and herbal resources, situation of Ayurveda medicine is still in perplexity.
Nepal has a rich heritage of Traditional medicine. Several kinds of traditional medicine are existed in the country. Whether officially recognized or not, all the systems are contributing remarkably since the time immemorial. Interestingly, all the existing traditional systems of medicine – Ayurveda, Naturopathy, Haomeopathy and others – to some extent share a common thread in their principles and practices. At least, all these systems directly or indirectly depends on herbal resources. Herbal drugs constitute a major part of all of the traditional systems of medicine. It is estimated that about 85% of the preparations in the traditional systems of medicine are poly-herbal.
Global scenario
Ayurveda is the dominant system among others. Practices of traditional medicine have been reviving in many developed countries including the United States (USA), Europe, Australia and Canada. The USA is the fastest growing market of herbal medicine. Estimated annual retail sale of herbal products in USA was US$ 200 million in 1988 which was US$ 5.1 billion in 1997. Four out of ten uses traditional medicine and many of them keep secret with their regular doctor. The consumer use of these products in the USA has increased by staggering 380 percent in the past ten years.
Estimated global market for herbal medicine in 2000 was at around US$ 30 billion. The worldwide sale during last decade has increased with an annual growth rate averaging between 5 to 15 per cent, depending on the region. Europe leads the market, followed by Asia, North America and Japan. The overall international trade in medicinal plants and their product has been estimated at over US$ 60 billion in 2000 with average annual growth rate of 7 percent. It is expected to reach US$ 5 trillion by 2050. The annual volume of global trade in medicinal plant material in the 1990’s amounted to an average of 400,000 metric tones, valued at US$ 1.2 billion. China and India are the top exporting countries and Hong Kong, Japan, the USA and Germany were the leading importers. Germany imports medicinal plants 90 per cent of total requirement. (Source – http://www.ics.trieste.it)
Country context
Despite having immense potentialities of manufacturing Ayurvedic drugs not only for the domestic purposes but also for the export to the global markets, Nepal imports of more than 150 cores rupees which has been increasing by 25 % per year. Due to advance bio-diversity, altitudinal variation and geographical structures, Nepal has lodged more than 1700 types of medicinal plants. Singh Durbar Vaidya Khana is the historical souvenir with a long history of more than 350 years in manufacturing sector. Besides this nearly 30 private companies are functioning in Ayurveda based herbal production. However, Nepali manufacturing industries hardly produce two hundred different brands of Ayurvedic drugs. Even the largest company- Singh Dubar Vaidya Khana uses less than two hundred types of herbs. Situation of private sector is quite improving but not satisfactory. Total annual production of Ayurvedic drugs in Nepal is less than of five cores rupees. As a result, more then 150 Indian companies are supplying Ayurvedic drug in Nepal. Nepal export raw herbs with low price and imports final product paying gold-price.
Urgent need
The products from Himalayan country are always welcome in European and American countries if they meet the international standard. Quality services quality production are indispensable to penetrate the international markets in the competitive global world. And, quality services and quality production is possible if quality education is available. Ayurveda is lacking skilled manpower as well as technology. Country should focus on human resource development. Research on ancient texts, drugs, herbs and formulations and dissemination of information are urgent need. Entrepreneurs should take the initiation themselves to improve the quality of their products. They must be aware of the opportunities, potentialities and threats of the WTO policy, rules and regulations.
To sum up, Ayurveda (other traditional systems too) not only ensure affordability to the economically, but also contribute to the socio-economic growth of the developing countries by abating expenses on medicine. Beauty of traditional medicinal system is its amalgamation with society, culture, religion and economy beside health services. It not merely concerns with public health, it but also provides opportunities for sustainable use of local bio-resources for the development of the area. Herbal medicinal products have become a subject of increasing global importance for their health benefits and economic considerations. It also has potentialities to contribute even for the modern medical system. World Health Organization has suggested the policy makers and the planners of the all member countries to incorporate traditional medicine into national health care system developing effective policy and planning ensuring safety, efficacy and quality of services as well as products. (Written in 2008)
