ASEAN member countries have agreed to establish partnerships to promote traditional medicine through information exchange, research, and the scientisation of traditional cures to guarantee their safety.

The agreement was reached at the Third Conference on ASEAN Traditional Medicine in Central Java, Indonesia, on Nov. 5, which saw the attendance of representatives from all 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Participants were introduced to the preservation and use of traditional treatment and healthcare therapies of the regional countries. They also discussed the necessity to apply modern technologies and set out standards for herbs and traditional cures.

The delegates also made a field trip to the factory of PT Deltomed Laboratories in Central Java , where they were briefed on the modernisation and standardisation process of traditional medicine production, and the herbal material extraction carried out in the factory.

PT Deltomed, a national herbal medicine producer, has established cooperation with the Indonesian Health Ministry’s Traditional Medicine and Herbal Medicine Development and Research Center./.