TRADITIONAL Myanma medicine has flourished through successive eras. It was a system of medicine that various ethnic groups living within Myanmar relied on and trusted. Similarly, in countries around the world, traditional medicines and healing practices – developed according to their local water, soil, climate, and cultural customs – also represent the cultural heritage of each ethnic group.

The refined and profound traditional medicine practices, treat­ments, invaluable medical texts, and highly effective medicines that have developed over many years on Myanmar’s land and waters must be collected and preserved. Through the combined efforts of tradi­tional medicine practitioners, these resources should be nurtured and maintained as a national heritage of medicine, ensuring that Myanmar’s traditional medical knowledge continues to thrive.

To preserve and promote Myanmar’s traditional med­icine and medicines and to provide the public with better healthcare through tradition­al medicine, the Traditional Medicine University has been producing new generations of traditional medicine practi­tioners annually. Currently, to develop traditional medicine in line with modern times and to produce more highly skilled traditional medicine specialists, the first-ever doc­toral programme in traditional medicine was launched in the 2025 academic year.

While working to advance traditional medicine, efforts are also being made to explore treatment-related medical fields connected to traditional medicine, so that accurate and effective care can be provided for public health through practical training. For example, research and development are being conducted to identify effective methods of treating difficult diseases, such as cancer, liver diseases, and other hard-to-treat illnesses, using Myanmar’s traditional medicines. To enhance the treatment capabilities of traditional medicine, the phys­iotherapy courses were conducted in July and August 2025 at each traditional medicine hospital (100-bed) in Nay Pyi Taw and Yangon.

Since Myanmar is a member of ASEAN, it participates collabora­tively with other member countries across various sectors, including the traditional medicine sector. If Myanmar’s traditional medicine production can be developed not only at the domestic industrial level but also regionally and internationally with increased output, high-quality production, and advanced packaging, it can boost the national economy and improve the socioeconomic well-being of the public. Moreover, it is necessary to effectively prevent the dishonest practices harming the reputation and integrity of traditional medicine.

As experts, traditional Myanma medicine practitioners and specialists from related organizations must continuously strive to develop Myanmar’s traditional medicine and medicines so that they can provide the public with effective and reliable healthcare. That is why efforts should be made to introduce powerful traditional medicines and effective treatment methods to the international community.