According to a World Health Organization report, the percentage of the world population that uses traditional…

According to a World Health Organization report, about 80 percent of the world population uses traditional medicine systems in some or the other way. India has a distinctive and unique traditional medicine base, with each system having its own ancient philosophy, medicinal knowledge, perception and practices that align with the regional cultures, traditions and beliefs. The traditional medicine systems in India include Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Homeopathy, which is known as Ayush. All these systems were formulated, practised and perfected in a continuum much before the advent of modern health science. In many countries of the world, medical pluralism is the norm, and traditional medicine is one of the surest means to achieve total healthcare coverage for the world population using acceptable, safe and economically feasible methods. No system of medicine can single-handedly address all health concerns, but an integrative approach incorporating the positives of each can surely benefit mankind. The holistic, patient-centred and individualized approach is the trademark of traditional systems and enables the patient-physician partnership to design or customize treatment and lifestyle advice in order to achieve the highest potential for well-being. This awareness combined with the increase in the use of traditional medicine has brought the systems to the fore. The diverse activities ranging from the provision of prophylactic care to the management of disease and the effective implementation and integration of the Ayush system into public healthcare during the pandemic has garnered global attention to Ayush systems. This has enabled the signing of the Host Country Agreement for the establishment of the Global Centre for Traditional Medicine at Jamnagar.