Vietnamese traditional medicine from a pharmacist’s perspective

Abstract

Traditional medicine plays an important role in the healthcare system of Vietnam. Vietnamese traditional medicine (VTM) is underpinned by the oriental philosophy and theory of healing. VTM is largely influenced by traditional Chinese medicine, but differs to a certain extent. VTM is largely not evidence-based from a clinical perspective but subclinical research data from the past decades support the traditional use of many herbal VTM drugs. For safe use, knowledge of the occurrence of adverse reactions and herb–drug interactions is necessary. The Vietnamese government supports further development of VTM in a scientific way and integration of VTM with Western medicine. This article first gives an overview of the general aspects of VTM (historical perspective, regulatory aspects, comparison with traditional Chinese medicine, philosophical background, the Vietnamese market situation, quality assurance and formulations), and subsequently focuses on its safe and effective use in Vietnamese clinical pharmacy and medical practice.

Keywords::

• effectiveness
• herbal drugs
• herb–drug interactions
• safety
• Vietnamese traditional medicine

Disclaimer

This article is a spin-off of the The Netherlands Program for the Institutional Strengthening of Post-Secondary Education and Training Capacity project ‘Strengthening the training quality of clinical pharmacists in Vietnam’ (project number NPT-VNM-240; duration: 2007–2012). This project, financed by The Netherlands Organisation for International Cooperation in Higher Education (Nuffic), is a cooperation between the University of Groningen (The Netherlands) and six universities of pharmacy in Vietnam.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.