Introduction of the treatment method of Thai traditional medicine: its validity and future perspectives.

Thai traditional medicine is one of the most valuable heritages handed down from Thai ancestors. In spite of increasing popularity of Western modern medicine, Thai traditional medicine is still widely used in taking care of health in daily life especially among the rural Thais. For the past decade, the government and private organizations have worked in collaboration to restore the values and popularity of Thai traditional medicine. Recently, the Ministry of Public Health has promoted the use of herbal medicine, and the Center for Herbal Information has collected data and performed scientific studies on this matter. Thai Massage Restoration Project has also revised the text on Thai traditional massage, which is now widely practised. The future prospects of Thai traditional medicine are rather positive because the Foundation for Restoring Thai Traditional Medicine and the College of Ayurvedic Medicine have the program and curriculum to produce personnel on traditional medicine. They have also attempted to integrate the basic knowledge of Western medicine into the study and practice of Thai traditional medicine.