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Session 1: Traditional medicine knowledge: protection and knowledge management
KEYNOTE LECTURE

Current Situation on the Protection of Traditional Medical Know-

ledge in China

Pei Shengji

Professor, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China

Abstract
Use of traditional medicine by Chinese Society has been extended from ancient time to modern societies for thousands of
years. Today, traditional medicine is believed and relied upon by a major part of the countryûs population for primary healthcare
needs from clinic treatment to self health care maintenance. Over the passed half century. China experience rapid economic
development and environment changes. Significant progress has been made in protection and development of traditional and
indigenous medicines. At present, traditional medicine plays very important role in the public health care system of China, and
as an important part of major industry and agriculture in building up the national economy. The impact of modern development
and changes on health care system, as well as rapid disappearing of traditional and indigenous medical knowledge and medicinal
plants all are seen as country wide situation and challenges that we face today in China. Protection of traditional and indigenous
medical knowledge is a common concern all over China. This paper presents a general review on current situation pattern of the
protection of traditional medical knowledge in China. Perspectives on the future development trends of traditional medical
knowledge transmission and suggestions for improving the current trends are also proposed for discussion.
Key word: traditional medical knowledge, medicinal plants, knowledge transmission, challenges, protection

Content 1. Introduction
2. Transmission of Traditional Medical Knowledge in China
3. Strategy and Action on Protection of Traditional Medical Knowledge in China
4. Perspectives and Suggestions
5. Reference
1. Introduction
Use of herbal medicine in China represents a long history of human interaction with environment. Written accounts testify
to the use of Chinese herbals for medicinal purposes can be raced back to 5,000 years ago, and Shen-Nongs book is suggested to
be one of the earliest sources of traditional knowledge on the use of herbals; it comprises 365 plants, animals, and minerals useful
as medication from the period of Shen-Nong (3,000 BC) (Pei, 1987, 2001). The recent studies on Dai medical culture suggested that
the earliest Palm leaf records on Dai herbals was in 3,000years ago (Society of Xishuangbanna Dai Studies, 2014).
Traditional management of medicinal plants and practices of indigenous medicine are built on the basis of indigenous
knowledge. There is a long tradition in the traditional societies of the Mekong Region, of using medicine plants for both
preventive and curative health care; local people have developed reliable knowledge and effective methods to identify, harvest,
utilize, maintain and preserve medicinal plants and associated traditional medical knowledge for their health care and their
habitats for sustainable use.
Over the last half century, the transition from centuries of isolation to intense interaction with the outside world since
1960ûs, the acceleration of globalization has been rapid and abrupt. Traditional system of medical knowledge, including traditional
medicine and indigenous medicine has disintegrated in many areas of the region including China. Modern life and cultural
changes, and access to modern allopathic medicine and improved health care facilities, has resulted in population growth. This
has causes changes in consumption patterns of medicinal plants among local societies, from home and local use in small
quantities to massive harvesting for marketing in large quantities, for instance medicinal Orchids, Rauwalfia, Dracaena, the
Dragon-blood tree and Paris herbals etc., on the other hand, population growth has also caused changes in land and resource
maintenance systems resulting not only in uncontrolled over-harvesting of wild medicinal plants and loss of traditional knowledge,
but also massive changes on forest vegetation, for example, in Xishuangbanna area, 47% of land area below 900 meters above sea
level has been occupied by Rubber plantations, which resulted many medicinal plants disappearing and lost of conservation
traditions. The impact of social, economic and environmental changes on traditional medical knowledge is enormous and pro-