Traditional healers and leading scientists have joined forces in a dramatic call for Malawi to fully embrace herbal and alternative medicine, demanding urgent research, tighter regulation and an end to the age-old rivalry with conventional doctors.
The extraordinary appeal came at a high-level Science Café hosted by Kamuzu University of Health Sciences during its 5th Research Dissemination Conference, held under the theme "Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Malawi: Opportunities, Challenges and Pathways for Health System Integration."
Professor Isaac Kingsley Amponsah, Head of the Department of Herbal Medicine at Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, told the gathering the reason millions turn to traditional remedies was refreshingly simple.
"Many people rely on traditional medicine because it is accessible and affordable, particularly in rural communities," he said.
But the professor issued a stark warning against relying on blind faith alone, insisting rigorous science must underpin every remedy handed out to patients.
"Without research, you can never come up with clear evidence on how to use herbal medicine," he stressed, adding that scientific research was the only way to prove what actually works, what is genuinely safe, and precisely how it should be administered.
In a major announcement, Francis Malunga, Director of Beatitude Naturopathy and Wellness Centre, revealed that Kamuzu University of Health Sciences is now preparing to launch a groundbreaking Bachelor's Degree in Herbal Medicine — a move that could transform how traditional medicine is taught and practised across the country.
Malunga also issued a passionate plea for traditional healers and conventional doctors to finally bury the hatchet after years of simmering rivalry.
"We need to come together and learn from one another," he urged.
Meanwhile, Dr Nitta Chinyama Nayeja, Director of Curative and Medical Rehabilitation in the Ministry of Health, delivered a blunt assessment of what keeps traditional medicine alive — and what could ultimately put patients at risk.
"Trust is what keeps traditional medicine alive," she said, "but regulation is what will keep people safe."
In a significant development, Dr Nayeja revealed that government is now drawing up a Parliamentary Bill designed to create a legal framework for traditional and complementary medicine for the very first time, with the Pharmacy Department throwing its weight behind the legislation as new regulations are drafted.
She warned the move could not come soon enough, disclosing that herbal medicine is now being widely used to manage both infectious and non-infectious diseases across Malawi — making tighter regulation an urgent priority rather than a distant ambition.
