Integrating African traditional medicine into modern healthcare: challenges and opportunities

Africa harbours a vast and diverse plant biodiversity, with>5,000 plants recognized for their medicinal applications. While some of these medicinal plants have been successfully commercialized, several challenges hinder the advancement of botanical research on the continent. The decline in biodiversity due to overharvesting, deforestation, and climate change; gradual erosion of ethnobotanical knowledge due to urbanization and shifting cultural practices; lack of standardization and quality control procedures; regulatory and ethical complexities in the governance of African traditional medicine (ATMs); insufficient research infrastructure and funding; and the persistent stigmatization of ATMs, often stemming from a perceived lack of scientific validation are some of these challenges. This presentation highlights key challenges in advancing African medicinal plant research and possible strategic approaches for progress. These include promoting community-led conservation and sustainable harvesting practices, leveraging modern technologies to deepen scientific understanding, and documenting traditional knowledge through collaboration with indigenous communities. Establishing standardized guidelines such as herbal pharmacopoeias is essential, alongside investment in infrastructure and capacity-building through regional research centers. Strengthening global partnerships, ensuring equitable benefit-sharing, and conducting robust preclinical and clinical studies will enhance the scientific credibility of ATMs. Additionally, raising awareness among policymakers and the public about the value of these botanicals is critical. Achieving meaningful integration of African medicinal plants into global herbal medicine systems and markets will require a unified, multidisciplinary, and collaborative effort. Publication History Article published online: 05 March 2026 © 2026. Thieme. All rights reserved. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Oswald-Hesse-Straße 50, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany