Integrating Traditional Medicine into Nigeria’s National Healthcare System: A Literature Review

Olumayowa Adeleke Idowu

doi:doi:10.11648/j.sjph.20251302.13

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Integrating Traditional Medicine into Nigeria’s National Healthcare System: A Literature Review

Olumayowa Adeleke Idowu^*

Published in Science Journal of Public Health (Volume 13, Issue 2)

Received: 29 March 2025 Accepted: 8 April 2025 Published: 29 April 2025

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Abstract

United Nations Sustainable Develop Goal (SDG) number 3 is to “Ensure healthy lives and promote the well-being for all at all ages”. To achieve the SDGs by 2030, the United Nations expects all countries and stakeholders to act in a collaborative partnership to implement the action plan forward in 2015. However, the attitude, and actions of Nigerian policymakers and the decision makers in the healthcare sector, which contribute to poor state of the health sector and the continuous migration of Nigerian healthcare professionals, tend to show that this goal is not likely to be achieved in 2030 or the nearest future. Nigeria’s healthcare system has been ailing for many decades and has consistently failed to adequately meet the healthcare needs of most Nigerians. The political leaders have failed to come up with effective policies to address the situation due largely to their non or low patronage of Nigerian hospitals for treatment. The World Health Organization (WHO) has provided Member States with general guidelines for methodologies on research and evaluation of traditional medicine and strategies for integrating it with orthodox medicine, and different countries have identified the important contributions of traditional medicine to the health and well-being of their citizens. The objective of this paper is to explore the influence and contributions of traditional medicine to the health and wellness of Nigerians and recommend how policymakers in Nigeria can develop policies and strategies to standardize and integrate traditional medicine into the healthcare system in Nigeria as part of the process of addressing healthcare problems and move towards the attainment of the SDGs. A scoping search method of Google Scholar and other websites for studies and reports on Nigeria’s traditional medicine, orthodox medicine, healthcare system, healthcare infrastructure, integration of traditional and orthodox medicines, health policies, and global traditional medicine practices was conducted. A total of seventy-seven studies and reports that focused on these key search words were included, reviewed and analyzed. On traditional medicine usage, majority of participants in the thirteen studies that covered one or more of each of the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria showed that majority of Nigerians use traditional medicines. However, the results of studies on the development, standardization and integration of traditional medicine into Nigeria’s healthcare system showed that the design and implementation of appropriate policies for research, evaluation of the safety and efficacy of traditional medicines, and its integration with orthodox medicine in Nigeria remains incoherent.

Published in	Science Journal of Public Health (Volume 13, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.sjph.20251302.13
Page(s)	97-105
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Traditional Medicine, Orthodox Medicine, Healthcare Sector, Healthcare Infrastructure, Traditional and Orthodox Medicine Integration, Health Policies and Practices

References

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Idowu, O. A. (2025). Integrating Traditional Medicine into Nigeria’s National Healthcare System: A Literature Review. Science Journal of Public Health, 13(2), 97-105. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20251302.13

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Idowu, O. A. Integrating Traditional Medicine into Nigeria’s National Healthcare System: A Literature Review. Sci. J. Public Health 2025, 13(2), 97-105. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20251302.13

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Idowu OA. Integrating Traditional Medicine into Nigeria’s National Healthcare System: A Literature Review. Sci J Public Health. 2025;13(2):97-105. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20251302.13

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@article{10.11648/j.sjph.20251302.13,
  author = {Olumayowa Adeleke Idowu},
  title = {Integrating Traditional Medicine into Nigeria’s National Healthcare System: A Literature Review
},
  journal = {Science Journal of Public Health},
  volume = {13},
  number = {2},
  pages = {97-105},
  doi = {10.11648/j.sjph.20251302.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20251302.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.sjph.20251302.13},
  abstract = {United Nations Sustainable Develop Goal (SDG) number 3 is to “Ensure healthy lives and promote the well-being for all at all ages”. To achieve the SDGs by 2030, the United Nations expects all countries and stakeholders to act in a collaborative partnership to implement the action plan forward in 2015. However, the attitude, and actions of Nigerian policymakers and the decision makers in the healthcare sector, which contribute to poor state of the health sector and the continuous migration of Nigerian healthcare professionals, tend to show that this goal is not likely to be achieved in 2030 or the nearest future. Nigeria’s healthcare system has been ailing for many decades and has consistently failed to adequately meet the healthcare needs of most Nigerians. The political leaders have failed to come up with effective policies to address the situation due largely to their non or low patronage of Nigerian hospitals for treatment. The World Health Organization (WHO) has provided Member States with general guidelines for methodologies on research and evaluation of traditional medicine and strategies for integrating it with orthodox medicine, and different countries have identified the important contributions of traditional medicine to the health and well-being of their citizens. The objective of this paper is to explore the influence and contributions of traditional medicine to the health and wellness of Nigerians and recommend how policymakers in Nigeria can develop policies and strategies to standardize and integrate traditional medicine into the healthcare system in Nigeria as part of the process of addressing healthcare problems and move towards the attainment of the SDGs. A scoping search method of Google Scholar and other websites for studies and reports on Nigeria’s traditional medicine, orthodox medicine, healthcare system, healthcare infrastructure, integration of traditional and orthodox medicines, health policies, and global traditional medicine practices was conducted. A total of seventy-seven studies and reports that focused on these key search words were included, reviewed and analyzed. On traditional medicine usage, majority of participants in the thirteen studies that covered one or more of each of the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria showed that majority of Nigerians use traditional medicines. However, the results of studies on the development, standardization and integration of traditional medicine into Nigeria’s healthcare system showed that the design and implementation of appropriate policies for research, evaluation of the safety and efficacy of traditional medicines, and its integration with orthodox medicine in Nigeria remains incoherent.
},
 year = {2025}
}

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TY  - JOUR
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AU  - Olumayowa Adeleke Idowu
Y1  - 2025/04/29
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DO  - 10.11648/j.sjph.20251302.13
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JF  - Science Journal of Public Health
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AB  - United Nations Sustainable Develop Goal (SDG) number 3 is to “Ensure healthy lives and promote the well-being for all at all ages”. To achieve the SDGs by 2030, the United Nations expects all countries and stakeholders to act in a collaborative partnership to implement the action plan forward in 2015. However, the attitude, and actions of Nigerian policymakers and the decision makers in the healthcare sector, which contribute to poor state of the health sector and the continuous migration of Nigerian healthcare professionals, tend to show that this goal is not likely to be achieved in 2030 or the nearest future. Nigeria’s healthcare system has been ailing for many decades and has consistently failed to adequately meet the healthcare needs of most Nigerians. The political leaders have failed to come up with effective policies to address the situation due largely to their non or low patronage of Nigerian hospitals for treatment. The World Health Organization (WHO) has provided Member States with general guidelines for methodologies on research and evaluation of traditional medicine and strategies for integrating it with orthodox medicine, and different countries have identified the important contributions of traditional medicine to the health and well-being of their citizens. The objective of this paper is to explore the influence and contributions of traditional medicine to the health and wellness of Nigerians and recommend how policymakers in Nigeria can develop policies and strategies to standardize and integrate traditional medicine into the healthcare system in Nigeria as part of the process of addressing healthcare problems and move towards the attainment of the SDGs. A scoping search method of Google Scholar and other websites for studies and reports on Nigeria’s traditional medicine, orthodox medicine, healthcare system, healthcare infrastructure, integration of traditional and orthodox medicines, health policies, and global traditional medicine practices was conducted. A total of seventy-seven studies and reports that focused on these key search words were included, reviewed and analyzed. On traditional medicine usage, majority of participants in the thirteen studies that covered one or more of each of the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria showed that majority of Nigerians use traditional medicines. However, the results of studies on the development, standardization and integration of traditional medicine into Nigeria’s healthcare system showed that the design and implementation of appropriate policies for research, evaluation of the safety and efficacy of traditional medicines, and its integration with orthodox medicine in Nigeria remains incoherent.

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Olumayowa Adeleke Idowu

Department of Economics, Lagos State University, Lagos, Nigeria

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Idowu, O. A. (2025). Integrating Traditional Medicine into Nigeria’s National Healthcare System: A Literature Review. Science Journal of Public Health, 13(2), 97-105. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20251302.13

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Idowu, O. A. Integrating Traditional Medicine into Nigeria’s National Healthcare System: A Literature Review. Sci. J. Public Health 2025, 13(2), 97-105. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20251302.13

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Idowu OA. Integrating Traditional Medicine into Nigeria’s National Healthcare System: A Literature Review. Sci J Public Health. 2025;13(2):97-105. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20251302.13

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@article{10.11648/j.sjph.20251302.13,
  author = {Olumayowa Adeleke Idowu},
  title = {Integrating Traditional Medicine into Nigeria’s National Healthcare System: A Literature Review
},
  journal = {Science Journal of Public Health},
  volume = {13},
  number = {2},
  pages = {97-105},
  doi = {10.11648/j.sjph.20251302.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20251302.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.sjph.20251302.13},
  abstract = {United Nations Sustainable Develop Goal (SDG) number 3 is to “Ensure healthy lives and promote the well-being for all at all ages”. To achieve the SDGs by 2030, the United Nations expects all countries and stakeholders to act in a collaborative partnership to implement the action plan forward in 2015. However, the attitude, and actions of Nigerian policymakers and the decision makers in the healthcare sector, which contribute to poor state of the health sector and the continuous migration of Nigerian healthcare professionals, tend to show that this goal is not likely to be achieved in 2030 or the nearest future. Nigeria’s healthcare system has been ailing for many decades and has consistently failed to adequately meet the healthcare needs of most Nigerians. The political leaders have failed to come up with effective policies to address the situation due largely to their non or low patronage of Nigerian hospitals for treatment. The World Health Organization (WHO) has provided Member States with general guidelines for methodologies on research and evaluation of traditional medicine and strategies for integrating it with orthodox medicine, and different countries have identified the important contributions of traditional medicine to the health and well-being of their citizens. The objective of this paper is to explore the influence and contributions of traditional medicine to the health and wellness of Nigerians and recommend how policymakers in Nigeria can develop policies and strategies to standardize and integrate traditional medicine into the healthcare system in Nigeria as part of the process of addressing healthcare problems and move towards the attainment of the SDGs. A scoping search method of Google Scholar and other websites for studies and reports on Nigeria’s traditional medicine, orthodox medicine, healthcare system, healthcare infrastructure, integration of traditional and orthodox medicines, health policies, and global traditional medicine practices was conducted. A total of seventy-seven studies and reports that focused on these key search words were included, reviewed and analyzed. On traditional medicine usage, majority of participants in the thirteen studies that covered one or more of each of the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria showed that majority of Nigerians use traditional medicines. However, the results of studies on the development, standardization and integration of traditional medicine into Nigeria’s healthcare system showed that the design and implementation of appropriate policies for research, evaluation of the safety and efficacy of traditional medicines, and its integration with orthodox medicine in Nigeria remains incoherent.
},
 year = {2025}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Integrating Traditional Medicine into Nigeria’s National Healthcare System: A Literature Review

AU  - Olumayowa Adeleke Idowu
Y1  - 2025/04/29
PY  - 2025
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20251302.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.sjph.20251302.13
T2  - Science Journal of Public Health
JF  - Science Journal of Public Health
JO  - Science Journal of Public Health
SP  - 97
EP  - 105
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2328-7950
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20251302.13
AB  - United Nations Sustainable Develop Goal (SDG) number 3 is to “Ensure healthy lives and promote the well-being for all at all ages”. To achieve the SDGs by 2030, the United Nations expects all countries and stakeholders to act in a collaborative partnership to implement the action plan forward in 2015. However, the attitude, and actions of Nigerian policymakers and the decision makers in the healthcare sector, which contribute to poor state of the health sector and the continuous migration of Nigerian healthcare professionals, tend to show that this goal is not likely to be achieved in 2030 or the nearest future. Nigeria’s healthcare system has been ailing for many decades and has consistently failed to adequately meet the healthcare needs of most Nigerians. The political leaders have failed to come up with effective policies to address the situation due largely to their non or low patronage of Nigerian hospitals for treatment. The World Health Organization (WHO) has provided Member States with general guidelines for methodologies on research and evaluation of traditional medicine and strategies for integrating it with orthodox medicine, and different countries have identified the important contributions of traditional medicine to the health and well-being of their citizens. The objective of this paper is to explore the influence and contributions of traditional medicine to the health and wellness of Nigerians and recommend how policymakers in Nigeria can develop policies and strategies to standardize and integrate traditional medicine into the healthcare system in Nigeria as part of the process of addressing healthcare problems and move towards the attainment of the SDGs. A scoping search method of Google Scholar and other websites for studies and reports on Nigeria’s traditional medicine, orthodox medicine, healthcare system, healthcare infrastructure, integration of traditional and orthodox medicines, health policies, and global traditional medicine practices was conducted. A total of seventy-seven studies and reports that focused on these key search words were included, reviewed and analyzed. On traditional medicine usage, majority of participants in the thirteen studies that covered one or more of each of the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria showed that majority of Nigerians use traditional medicines. However, the results of studies on the development, standardization and integration of traditional medicine into Nigeria’s healthcare system showed that the design and implementation of appropriate policies for research, evaluation of the safety and efficacy of traditional medicines, and its integration with orthodox medicine in Nigeria remains incoherent.

VL  - 13
IS  - 2
ER  -

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