The main problem associated with our indigenous medical knowledge is that it had not been shared with society in general, Technology and Research Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said.

The minister was participating in a forum on indigenous knowledge on medicine at the National Science Foundation last Tuesday. He said this valuable knowledge was limited to a few Aryurvedic doctors, and they passed on this knowledge only to their children and family, thereby obstructing the path to disseminate this knowledge to a wider section of the society.

He said indigenous medical knowledge now in possession with a few individuals and their descendants should be socialized to conserve and develop it.

Ranawaka said exploring our indigenous knowledge accumulated over thousands of years has become a timely necessity. The minister said indigenous medical knowledge must be treated with equal importance, adding that its credibility must be enhanced.

The general opinion is that indigenous medical knowledge is non-scientific. This knowledge cannot be comprehended only through laboratory tests. It is also associated with spirituality.The indigenous knowledge of one culture is different to another. The attempt to measure indigenous medical practices based on the criteria of Western medical practice is futile. The success rate of our indigenous medical practitioners is very high and this indicates the power of our indigenous knowledge, he said.

Over 60 indigenous medical doctors and intellectuals participated in the forum.

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Exploring indigenous knowledge, a timely necessity