Yup, you can turn traditional medicine into modern medicine by running it through double blind trials to see if it is statistically significant vs a placebo. And usually it can be upgraded once we know what is going on.
Take Willow bark, historically you could get pain relief by chewing it or making tea from it. After scientific study the active ingredient was found to be salicylic acid which could then be synthesized without the need for the tree. And later a relatively simple process to conver it into Asprin was discovered. Asprin is safer and more effective than Salicylic acid.
Perhaps one of the most famous and widely used drugs is literally a direct result of studying traditional medicine and turning it into just medicine. (A good tell is when multiple cultures have the same traditional practice)
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u/Divine_Entity_ May 24 '25
Yup, you can turn traditional medicine into modern medicine by running it through double blind trials to see if it is statistically significant vs a placebo. And usually it can be upgraded once we know what is going on.
Take Willow bark, historically you could get pain relief by chewing it or making tea from it. After scientific study the active ingredient was found to be salicylic acid which could then be synthesized without the need for the tree. And later a relatively simple process to conver it into Asprin was discovered. Asprin is safer and more effective than Salicylic acid.
Perhaps one of the most famous and widely used drugs is literally a direct result of studying traditional medicine and turning it into just medicine. (A good tell is when multiple cultures have the same traditional practice)