Traditional Medicinal Knowledge and Intellectual Property Rights

What is Traditional Medical Knowledge

Traditional medical knowledge has social, cultural and scientific value and is important for many indigenous peoples and local communities. In some Asian and African countries, 80 percent of the population depend on traditional medicine, including for primary healthcare.

Traditional knowledge is generally considered as the collective heritage of a particular indigenous people or local community. While individuals, such as a Shaman in Bolivia or a Sangoma in South Africa, may themselves innovate, what makes their innovations “traditional” is that they are based on the community’s collective heritage and the innovations are ....