Alliance of traditional and scientific knowledge in Central America

Résumé 0

The ethnopharmacological approach makes it possible for many peoples to have access to suitable and effective therapy, in their own right.The approach implemented in Central America and developed by the Association "Jardins du Monde" established in Brittany, France aims at studying traditional pharmacopoeias and sharing scientific results with partners working for various N.G.O. with whom they set up strategies for the integration of the scheme to provide primary health care into a general programme for sustainable development (hygiene, food, agriculture, animal health care, environment). It sets up pilot structures for development, including:- laboratories for the manufacturing of simple medicinesA part of the production of collective gardens is processed by local laboratories. The herbal medicines are prepared according to galenic protocols;- creation of communal pharmaciesA part of the plants and the by-products produced are offered to the community by health care officers in such communal pharmacies. These products are marketed next to essential medicines so that health care officers and patients may choose the kind of treatment they prefer, and also generate some surplus-value and thus contribute to the salary of the health care officer who is in charge of the communal pharmacy.