Public Health Ministry promotes Thai traditional medicine
Adds 18 herbal concoctions to the essential medicines list, to boost the use of traditional cures and reduce reliance on imported drugs
The Public Health Ministry has added 18 herbs to the National List of Essential Medicines, with the ranking based on the total value of drugs dispensed over five years, from 2019 to 2023.
The ministry said it has tasked the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine (DTAM) to promote the use of Thai herbs instead of modern medicine to reduce the reliance on imports and promote Thailand’s traditional medical practices.
The ministry also plans to increase the value of Thai herbal medicine used in state hospitals from around 1 billion baht per year to 1.5 billion baht per year. This move will also help support local farmers and ensure the public has access to better quality medicines, it said.
Of the 18 Thai herbal drugs included in the list, the top 10 dispensed over the past five years ranked in value are as follows:
1. Fah Talai Jone (Andrographis paniculata)
2. Turmeric
3. Makham Khaek (Alexandrian senna)
4. Jewel Vine (Derris scandens)
5. Ma Waeng (Solanum violaceum)
6. Bitter melon
7. Sahas Thara mixed herbal drugs
8. Pet Sung Kart Compound capsules
9. Ginger
10. Triphala (a combination of Myrobalan, Terminalia bellirica, and Indian gooseberry)
Fah Talai Jone is traditionally used to treat fever, cough and sore throats, and was widely used during the Covid-19 pandemic after studies found that the Andrographolide substance in the plant could stop the virus from entering body cells.
The ministry added that it operates 46 herbal drug manufacturing facilities that are certified under World Health Organisation’s GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) standards. In addition, there are some 1,000 private firms producing herbal concoctions in Thailand.
