Every November in the Philippines is Traditional and Alternative Health Care Month, which was created by Presidential Proclamation 698 in 2004 by then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as a means of recognizing certain methods of “preventing and healing a wide variety of diseases.”

According to RA 8423, or the Traditional and Alternative Medicine Act of 1997, traditional and alternative medicines are defined as “the sum total of knowledge, skills, and practices on health care, other than those embodied in biomedicine.”

Some examples of traditional and alternative medicine include reflexology, acupressure, herbal medicines, among others.

According to the presidential proclamation, “There are about 2,000 medicinal plants in the Philippines and there is a need to accelerate the research and development of these plants for medical use.”/WDJ