TMGL
The WHO Traditional Medicine Global Library
About Us
About Us
The WHO Traditional Medicine Global Library (TMGL) is a collaborative digital library that provides comprehensive access on traditional medicine information for researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and the general public.
User Support
FAQs
Frequent Asked Questions about the WHO TMGL.
Search Fields for TMGL´s IAHx
Search support This page provides guidance and tools to help you build and refine search strategies – from simple to advanced – through the TMGL search interface (iAHx), an advanced tool that enables exploration of publications, journals, theses, and other scientific resources using filters and descriptors from the DeCS/MeSH classification system.
WHO Regions
Global
Africa
Algeria
Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cabo Verde
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
Congo
Côte d’Ivoire
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
Rwanda
Sao Tome and Principe
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
South Africa
South Sudan
Togo
Uganda
United Republic of Tanzania
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Americas
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)
Brazil
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Grenada
Guatemala
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Jamaica
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Suriname
Trinidad and Tobago
United States of America
Uruguay
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
East Mediterranean
Afghanistan
Bahrain
Djibouti
Egypt
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Iraq
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Libya
Morocco
Oman
Pakistan
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Somalia
Sudan
Syrian Arab Republic
Tunisia
United Arab Emirates
Yemen
Europe
Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czechia
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Monaco
Montenegro
Netherlands (Kingdom of the)
North Macedonia
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Republic of Moldova
Romania
Russian Federation
San Marino
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Tajikistan
Türkiye
Turkmenistan
Ukraine
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Uzbekistan
South-East Asia
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
India
Maldives
Myanmar
Nepal
Sri Lanka
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Western Pacific
Australia
Brunei Darussalam
Cambodia
China
Cook Islands
Fiji
Indonesia
Japan
Kiribati
Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Malaysia
Marshall Islands
Micronesia (Federated States of)
Mongolia
Nauru
New Zealand
Niue
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Republic of Korea
Samoa
Singapore
Solomon Islands
Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu
Viet Nam
Traditional Medicine Dimensions
Health & Well-being
The Gujarat Declaration emphasizes the importance of traditional medicine in promoting a holistic understanding of health and well-being that goes beyond individual care, extending to the community and environment. In many traditional systems, health is achieved when there is harmony within the body, mind, and natural surroundings.
Leadership & Policies
The Gujarat Declaration calls for stronger leadership and policy frameworks that support the integration of traditional medicine into global and national health systems. Effective leadership ensures that traditional medicine is recognized as a valuable part of healthcare and not marginalized or treated as secondary.
Research & Evidence
The Gujarat Declaration underscores the need for expanding and strengthening research and evidence around traditional medicine. Developing robust research frameworks helps ensure that traditional medicine is better understood and applied within healthcare systems. The declaration calls for collaborative research that respects both traditional knowledge systems and scientific inquiry.
Health Systems & Services
The Gujarat Declaration emphasizes the importance of integrating traditional medicine into national health systems in a way that respects each country’s unique cultural, social, and healthcare context. While many countries have successfully incorporated traditional medicine alongside conventional services, the path toward integrative health systems is unique for each nation, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach.
Digital Health Frontiers
The Gujarat Declaration recognizes the transformative role that digital health technologies can play in enhancing the accessibility, safety, and integration of traditional medicine within conventional healthcare systems. Digital tools—such as telemedicine platforms, mobile health apps, and digital knowledge repositories—are revolutionizing how traditional medicine is practiced, shared, and integrated.
Biodiversity & Sustainability
The Gujarat Declaration emphasizes the critical role of biodiversity in supporting traditional medicine and global health. Many traditional medical systems rely heavily on local ecosystems for their medicinal plants, minerals, and natural resources. However, biodiversity is under threat due to climate change, habitat loss, and overharvesting,
Rights, Equity & Ethics
The Gujarat Declaration underscores the importance of safeguarding the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) and ensuring equitable access to traditional medicine. Traditional medicine is not only a healthcare resource but also a part of the cultural identity and heritage of many communities.
TM for Daily Life
The Gujarat Declaration highlights the everyday relevance of traditional medicine in promoting well-being and preventive healthcare for both individuals and communities. Traditional medicine is not just about treating illness but plays an essential role in maintaining health through daily practices.
TMGL Resources
Research4Life Collection
The TMGL Research4Life Collection is a curated set of 64 peer-reviewed journals in traditional, complementary and integrative medicine, now accessible through the Research4Life platform. Developed as part of TMGL’s resources, this collection brings together scientific and Indigenous knowledge from diverse regions and provides full-text coverage for all titles, with access categorized as free (F) or paid (P) under the Research4Life tiered model. The WHO Traditional Medicine Global Library is formally recognized by WHO as an information provider within Research4Life, underscoring the platform’s credibility and expanding global access to high-quality literature. This integrated collection strengthens The WHO Traditional Medicine Global Library’s mission by supporting research, education and policy development in traditional medicine worldwide.
Evidence Maps
The Evidence Maps on The WHO Traditional Medicine Global Library offers a dynamic, visual approach to presenting scientific evidence on traditional medicine. Evidence maps are specialized tools that curate and summarize data from systematic reviews, organizing the information in a graphic format that allows users to easily navigate complex scientific findings.
Databases and Repositories
The WHO Traditional Medicine Global Library integrates a wide range of internal and external repositories to provide comprehensive access to traditional medicine knowledge. External sources like Medline, LILACS and specialized databases offer peer-reviewed research and systematic reviews, while TMGL continually expands partnerships to avoid duplication and enhance access. Its internal repository, Mosaico, hosts non-conventional materials, including policies, theses, multimedia and grey literature ,capturing community knowledge and practical resources often absent from standard academic platforms. This integrated approach supports researchers, practitioners and policymakers with both scientific evidence and culturally grounded insights.
TMGL GPT — The Integrative Public Health Model
This GPT integrates traditional and scientific perspectives to support public health analysis. Users are encouraged to exercise judgment and refer to authoritative sources as appropriate. Please consult the instructions for the full disclaimer.
Journals
The WHO Traditional Medicine Global Library provides a rich collection of scientific journals on Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine (TCIM). These journals support research, knowledge exchange, and evidence-based practice across diverse therapies, from acupuncture and herbal medicine to homeopathy and naturopathy. They also feature interdisciplinary studies on integrating traditional and biomedical systems, fostering a broad understanding of TCIM. Explore the collection and stay up to date with leading research in traditional and integrative medicine!
Multimedia
This multimedia collection offers diverse resources on TCIM, including webinars, videos and testimonies that explore core concepts, clinical uses and public health. it includes perspectives from Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Anthroposophic Medicine and phytotherapy, highlighting how diverse health knowledges can jointly address complex needs. It promotes culturally respectful, evidence-informed learning and supports decisions aligned with The WHO Traditional Medicine Global Strategy and the Gujarat Declaration.
Regulations and Policies
This collection gathers laws, regulations and policies on traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine (TCIM) from WHO regions. It covers frameworks for practices, products, and practitioners, indexed under descriptors ranging from Complementary Therapies and National Health Programs to Traditional Indigenous Medicine and Cultural Diversity. This resource helps illustrate how TCIM is regulated and integrated into diverse health systems and cultural contexts.
Thematic Pages
The Thematic Pages of The WHO Traditional Medicine Global Library provide a centralized space to explore key traditional, complementary and integrative medicine systems and therapies content. Each page offers curated resources, evidence-based information and links to related TMGL tools, supporting researchers, practitioners and policymakers in accessing reliable knowledge and fostering the integration of traditional medicine into health systems worldwide.
TMGL News
The TMGL News section provides up-to-date coverage of the latest events, announcements and developments in the world of traditional medicine. From policy updates and research breakthroughs to global conferences and initiatives, this section keeps readers informed about key activities and advancements shaping the field.
TMGL Events
The WHO Traditional Medicine Global Library Events section highlights important conferences, workshops, webinars and other gatherings related to traditional medicine from around the world.
TMGL Recent Literature Reviews
Access the latest review articles on traditional medicine, providing a comprehensive overview of current scientific knowledge.
TMGL Featured Stories
The TMGL Featured Stories section highlights compelling narratives from around the world, showcasing the role of traditional medicine in diverse cultural, historical and healthcare contexts.
WHO TM Global Summit
The exhibition at the WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit showcased technical and multimedia materials from WHO regions and countries, illustrating the integration of TCIM into health systems, advances in Planetary Health and Biodiversity and progress on the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Strategy and Gujarat Declaration.
Vault (launching in the next biennium)
The TMGL Vault is currently under development and will be introduced in the next biennium. It will serve as aspecialized digital repository designed to support countries in implementing a defensive intellectual property (IP) protection strategy for their Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs). Aligned with the guidance provided by the WIPO landmark document on Documenting Traditional Knowledge, TMGL Vault’s primary objective is to create a secure platform where IPLCs can safely deposit descriptions of their health-related traditional knowledge. By leveraging advanced digital technologies, such as blockchain and encryption solutions, the TMGL Vault ensures that traditional knowledge is effectively protected from unauthorized use and exploitation.
Search Collection
Search TMGL Collection
