News Releases

UWI supports Traditional Medicine Workshop

For Release Upon Receipt - January 25, 2008

St. Augustine


The University of the West Indies (UWI) and the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) will support the 13th Biennial Traditional Medicine in the Islands (TRAMIL) workshop, which will bring together over fifty delegates from the Caribbean and Latin American. TRAMIL facilitates multidisciplinary collaboration and its network includes botanists, chemists, pharmacologists, physicians and everyday people. The TRAMIL workshop takes place from Wednesday 6th to Friday 8th February, 2008 at the Centre of Excellence, Macoya.

As part of the TRAMIL workshop, the UWI Learning Resource Centre will also host a display of herbal products and interesting reading material on Saturday 9th February, 2008, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., as well as an interactive public forum from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. The display and the forum are open to the public.

At the present time, with the increasing use of herbal remedies for maintaining health and disease management, TRAMIL provides a platform for the dissemination of sound scientific information, beyond folkloric beliefs. TRAMIL proposes to rationalise the use of medicinal plants which impact directly on public health, and aims to make available to locals and basic paramedical personnel the practical knowledge for the treatment of some common ailments with herbs which may have the potential to decrease the cost of healthcare, whilst respecting the popular tradition. This scientific investigative approach would shed light on alternative solutions to certain health problems that could be both technically and economically viable. Our approach is realistic and rigorous and is aimed at achieving better understanding of popular herbal therapies and its integration into modern medicine.

TRAMIL began over 25 years ago in Haiti and the Dominican Republic with the goal of establishing the safety and effectiveness of popular traditional medicines using scientific methods. Over the years, TRAMIL has expanded into many Caribbean islands and Latin American territories.

Contact

  • Dr. Yuri Clement

  • Faculty/Department

    Faculty of Medical Sciences
    PHARMACOLOGY UNIT

  • Tel.: (868) 663 8613
  • Email: yuri.clement@sta.uwi.edu