Journal of Traditional Medicine & Clinical Naturopathy focuses on the natural practices and usage of herbal medicines. You can come across number of articles related to it. One such is the ‘Medicinal Plants: Safety Must Be First and Foremost’ It says that In the general population the sentiment that what is natural is also wholesome prevails. While it may be generally true, unfortunately there are deleterious exceptions in the flora especially regarding plants used for real or perceived medical benefits.

More than 1,000 plants and associations of different plants can be found on the United States market. There are more than 7,000 species of medicinal plants. Several of them contain toxic substances which, if ingested, at worst can lead to death. Heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, copper, iron, manganese, nickel, zinc, and arsenic have been found in their analysis. In a study performed in the United States on 251 preparations coming from Asia, arsenic was found in 36 samples, mercury in 35 samples, and lead in 24 others. Lead encephalopathy and mercury poisoning have been described as detrimental effects of herbal decoctions or raw plant absorption. Anecdotally, a Tibetan child receiving ‘’vitamin herbs’’ had absorbed 63 g of lead over 4 yrs. Another example is an Indian child who developed eye cancer from an herbal remedy containing arsenic and given to him by his parents 

The Journal also conducted several conferences around the world “World Congress on Traditional and Complementary Medicine” where Dr. H M Rafeek has been the key note speaker stating Overview of future aspects of Complementary Medicine as today two system of health care available in this world; Western medicine and Alternative Medicine, but for patients looking on better health in the world for number of therapies / medicines wherever available such as allopathy, homeopathy, osteopathy, naturopathy- but whatever the patient needs sympathy. Looking on to these points ,today conventional medicine is superb when it?? come to surgery, emergency and trauma but there is no question that Alternative Medicine works better for just about everything else specially for chronic disease. My research findings, treatment in some cases is more cost effective over long term because it emphasizes prevention and goes after causes rather than symptoms. However this is changing largely due to input of other professions than medicine and input from psychology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech therapy, naturopathic iridologist and other professions, which are supporting the health care service in the National Health Service (NHS) It is important to classify and to stratify CAM. the Chinese medicine, which includes Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Physical Medicine, Magnetic therapy, Color therapy, Cupping Therapy and other modalities perhaps still developing of course, medicine and is extensively usedThere are other two systems: 1) Herbal medicine which is on a worldwide basis is the most challenges and pharmaceutical approach of medicines widely. 2) Homeopathy is that form of therapy which most challenges the pharmaceutical approach of medicine in that the principles are: like should treat like and that of the diluted medicine, to the extent those immeasurable parts of the original medicines are more powerful Under the banner of complementary system, diagnosing stools are pulse diagnosis, iris diagnosis, tongue diagnosis, facial diagnosis, Su-Jok diagnosis, Auricular diagnosis. We concluded there is a trend in the whole world and the world is coming back to natural remedies or integrated medicines a way of treatment whether the east or west the world is coming back to natural life, when the time needful pharmaceutical drugs need to be taken. Today the world is growing up with complementary medicine due to vast benefits for life long, supporting the scientific researches related to alternative and complementary medicine training to western doctors to learn the benefits of treatment and practices to understand about complementary medicine. Holistic therapies stress empathic communication between therapist and patient, and involve the patient in goal-setting and problem-solving. Finally, many of the complementary therapies are pleasurable; older people enjoy the socialization.

Regards
Hong Shang
Associate Editor