Developed from experience gained over the centuries and adapted to the local culture and environment, Traditional Knowledge/Traditional medicinal practices were transmitted orally from generation to generation. It tends to be collectively owned and takes the form of stories, songs, folklore, proverbs etc. attached to cultural values, beliefs, rituals, community laws and local language.
Research in Traditional Medicines shall be encouraged for the better understanding of the mechanism of action of drugs being used, chemical reactions happening during its processing by the body, active principles responsible for the particular action of the drug and the identification of the molecules responsible for toxicity reduction etc. The potential portfolios of research include standardization of various drugs, modifications in the ‘form’ and ‘route’ of drug administration, enhancement of shelf-life of the drug, quality standards of drug production, and innovations in processing, packaging, storage, transport, delivery etc. There is no bar on the researchers to take out a patent on the substantially improved version of Traditional Knowledge or on development of new drugs based on Traditional Medicine principles.
Pacific Islands, otherwise Oceanus, is a constellation of more than 25,000 islands as well as atolls of more than 20 nations and territories that are spread across the central and western Pacific Ocean. Sprawling over millions of square kilometers, Pacific Islands’ total land area is about four-fifths of the size of Alaska. Significant of the members of the Pacific Islands are Australia, New Zealand, Federated States of Micronesia, and Republic of the Marshall Islands.
Based on the culture, geography, and ethnic backgrounds of the inhabitants of the islands, Pacific Islands are categorized into three groups: Melanesia, Polynesia, and Micronesia extending towards the north across the Equator.
Located on the south western region of the Pacific Basin, particularly north and north-east of Australia – Melanesia, literally meaning ‘black islands,’ is truly a region of remarkable contrasts. Despite its strong Polynesian cultural background, Fiji Islands, one of the most charming destinations on the planet, forms a part of Melanesia. Papua, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia are the other Pacific Islands that are included in this region. A specialty of Melanesia is that it boasts of larger islands, which constitute about 99% of the total land area of all Pacific islands as well as about 85% of overall population of Pacific Islands.
