Bridging Ancient Wisdom and Modern Medicine

Medically Reviewed by Dr. Oluwakemi Balogun (Kemi), MD — Medhaven Health

Last updated: August 2025

A Personal and Professional Perspective

“The best doctor gives the least medicines.” – Benjamin Franklin

This phrase is still very much relevant in our fast-growing tech world today. In today’s hospitals, machines beep and screens light up with data, but true healing is about more than just medicines and surgeries. True healing is not only about curing disease; it also entails understanding the whole of the person’s body, mind, and spirit.

Amongst many cultures and continents, traditional medicine has always been the foundation of healthcare for thousands of years. It thrives not because people rejected science, but because it offers something uniquely personal and holistic and is deeply rooted in community trust. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 80% of people around the world still rely on traditional medicine either as their main form of healthcare or as a way to support modern treatments (WHO, 2013).

I have a personal experience of this intersection, growing up as the daughter of a well-respected native doctor and an herbalist. My parents were known in our community for their deep knowledge of plants, roots, and herbs, as well as for their art of listening to each person’s story and line of complaints. Hence, a family where healing was both a calling and a tradition. Being trained in modern health sciences, I learned different languages of laboratory tests, pharmacology, and clinical guidelines.

Living between these two worlds has taught me an important truth: that traditional and modern medicine have never been enemies but are just two streams that brought together a stronger form of healing.

Growing Up Between Two Worlds

Childhood in my home then was nothing like that of many of my classmates. Though many must have grown up hearing bedtime stories, I grew up hearing stories about the healing streams and the power of different roots and herbs, different plants to pick in the morning, ways of plucking certain leaves, how to prepare different tonics to stimulate appetite, making calming infusions for sleepless nights, and how to rightfully nurture this gentle, life-saving nature.

But there was also balance. My parent never once claimed that traditional medicine could solve everything. If someone came with a broken bone, a deep wound, or signs of a serious ailment, they were referred to the hospital immediately. In their view, a healer’s first duty was to help the patient, even if that meant turning to another system of care.

These early lessons shaped how I view health in general. We need to remember that knowledge passed down through generations is not any less valuable just because it didn’t come from a lab. And the best healers are often the ones humble enough to recognize their limits.

What Traditional Medicine Offers

Traditional medicine looks different from one culture to another, but there are some common threads that run through many of these practices.

• A holistic view: Health isn’t just about the body. It’s about the mind, spirit, relationships, and even the environment around us.
• Personal touch: Treatments are often tailored to each person, considering their lifestyle, body type, and cultural background.
• Natural remedies: Herbs, roots, minerals, and even animal products are used, with knowledge carefully passed down through generations.
• Prevention first: Many traditional systems focus on keeping people healthy in the first place, through balanced diets, seasonal routines, and spiritual practices.

Take West Africa, for example. Bitter kola (Garcinia kola) is widely used for coughs, chest problems, boosting immunity, and even as a mild stimulant. Research has shown it really does have antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects. Another example is neem leaf (Azadirachta indica), found in both Africa and Asia. People use it for skin problems, preventing malaria, and even for dental care. Studies confirm its strong antibacterial and antifungal properties.

The true value of traditional medicines lies not only in the plants themselves but also in how they are integrated into the lives of the people who use them.

The Strengths and Limits of Modern Medicine

Modern medicine has indeed shown various extraordinary achievements via different forms of vaccines that prevent deadly diseases, surgical techniques that save lives, and medicines that control chronic illnesses. Its strength lies in evidence-based practice, in which treatments are tested in controlled trials, and their effects are measured and published.

But the strength of modern medicine, its precision, can sometimes come at the cost of personal care. People with the same diagnosis are often given the same treatment, with less attention paid to their cultural background or overall well-being. Hospital visits can also feel rushed, leaving little room for real conversation or connection.

Even so, modern medicine has begun to show openness to learning from traditional knowledge. Artemisinin, the gold-standard drug for malaria, was derived from Artemisia annua, used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years (Tu, 2011). Aspirin’s active ingredient was inspired by willow bark, long used in folk medicine for pain and fever.

This history has proven a different point: that science and tradition can enrich one another when mutual respect is present.

When the Two Work Together

The most promising future for healthcare lies in integration, using the best of both worlds.

In some cancer care settings, some patients receive chemotherapy alongside acupuncture to manage their nausea or herbal formulas to boost their appetite and immunity. Likewise, in physical rehabilitation, traditional massage or acupressure can be combined with physiotherapy to speed recovery.

I witnessed such a collaboration during my practice days. A patient with type 2 diabetes was struggling with digestive side effects from her prescribed medication. In one of her consultations with the doctor, she was introduced to a mild herbal tea well known locally for its effect in aiding digestion and also stabilizing blood sugar levels. Over time, her glucose levels improved, and she experienced fewer digestive issues.

China is one of the countries that has successfully institutionalized this approach, where hospitals often have Western-trained doctors and Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners, both working side by side (Xu & Yang, 2009). Also in Ghana, formal training programs were orchestrated for traditional healers to teach them to identify serious conditions and refer patients to hospitals when necessary. This partnership greatly increases safety while preserving cultural heritage.

Barriers to Working Together

Even though the idea of blending traditional and modern medicine has big benefits, there are still real challenges to face.

• Mutual distrust: Some modern doctors see traditional medicine as unscientific or unreliable, while some traditional healers feel modern medicine is cold, foreign, or too far from nature.
• Rules and regulations: In many countries, there are no clear laws or systems for how traditional medicine should be regulated. This makes it harder to guarantee quality and safety.
• Lack of Documentation: Most traditional remedies are shared through word of mouth, passed down from one generation to the next. That makes it difficult to fit them into the formal style of modern research and medical journals.
• Safety Concern: Not every herb is safe for everyone. Some can even interact badly with prescription drugs, which makes careful use important.

Still, these barriers are not reasons to give up. Instead, there are chances for more education, stronger research, and real collaboration between the two systems.

Building the Bridge

Bringing traditional and modern medicine together requires more than good intentions. It needs:

• Research: Rigorous testing of traditional remedies to confirm the safety and dosage, as well as the effectiveness of such medicines.
• Training: Educating both modern doctors and traditional healers about each other’s methods.
• Policy Support: Government recognition of traditional practitioners and the creation of clear standards.
• Community Involvement: Ensuring that integration respects cultural beliefs and remains accessible.

The Centre for Scientific Research into Plant Medicine in Ghana is a good example. Laboratory research was conducted on plants used by traditional healers, thus helping to validate and refine remedies for broader use.

A Personal Reflection

Walking in both worlds is not without its challenges. I have been questioned by some of my modern colleagues who assumed that traditional medicine is superstition. I have also met traditional healers who see the modern hospitals as cold and disconnected from the human spirit of healing. But in all my experiences, both sides want the same thing: for patients to be well. When we start from that shared goal, it becomes easier to build trust.

I often think of my parent who never saw a contradiction in sending a patient to the hospital while also preparing an herbal tonic for their recovery. To them, it was all healing work, and healing work should never be limited by pride or prejudice.

Conclusion

“When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion.” – Ethiopian Proverb

Traditional and modern medicine each have their own unique strengths and weaknesses. Alone, each can do much. Together, they can do much more.

The future of healthcare does not lie in choosing between the old and the new but rather in weaving them together into something better and stronger. This requires humility from scientists, openness from traditional healers, and supportive policies from the governments.

As someone who has grown up with herbs and roots in tradition and at the same time is scientifically trained, I believe the bridge between these two worlds is not only possible, it is already being built. Our responsibility is just to make it strong, respectful, and wide enough for those who seek healing to cross.

References

Okunji, C. O., Iwu, M. M., Jackson, J. E., & Tally, J. D. (1996). Biological activity of saponins from two Dracaena species. In G. R. Waller & K. Yamasaki (Eds.), Saponins used in food and agriculture (pp. 415–428). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0413-5_34

Tu, Y. (2011). The discovery of artemisinin (qinghaosu) and gifts from Chinese medicine. Nature Medicine, 17(10), 1217–1220. https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.2471

World Health Organization. (2013). WHO traditional medicine strategy: 2014–2023. World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/92455

Xu, J., & Yang, Y. (2009). Traditional Chinese medicine is in the Chinese health care system. Health Policy, 90(2–3), 133–139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2008.09.003

Appendix

The following appendix presents photographic evidence of selected indigenous African plants traditionally valued for their medicinal properties.

Figure 1: African Pear Leaf Dacryodes edulis

Traditionally used in managing fever, skin infections, stomach ailments, and certain eye conditions.

 

Figure 2: Bitter Collar Garcinia kola

Known for its use in relieving cough, cold, and liver-related ailments.

Figure 3 Aidan Fruit Tetrapleura tetraptera, (locally called Onigun or Prekese)

Employed for its antimicrobial benefits, pain relief properties, and support in digestive health.

 

Figure 4: Poroporo Baba Sorghum bicolor

Valued as a blood tonic and recognized for its anti-anemic properties.

 

Figure 5: Erù – African Black Pepper Xylopia aethiopica

Traditionally used to treat cough, cold, catarrh, fever, chest pain, diarrhea, gastrointestinal discomfort, and for general pain relief.

Figure 6: Ejirin – Bitter Gourd Leaves Momordica charantia

Applied in the management of diabetes, fever, and for promoting reproductive health.