Page 46 - Proceedings of The Fifth Meeting of Indigenous Medicine in the Mekong Basin

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100 candidates. The University had already produced (921) graduates. In the year
2012, the University opened Master of Myanmar Traditional Medicine course and
Bachelor of Myanmar Traditional Medicine bridge course.
Basic concepts of Myanmar Traditional Medicine have been introduced to the
curriculum of 3rd year M.B.,B.S medical students since 2003. A module, comprising
36 hours of teaching and learning sessions of traditional medicine was developed
and assessment is done after completion of the course. A certificate was presented
to all successful candidates and the main aim of the course is to familiarize medical
students with Myanmar Traditional Medicine. This is the first of its kind where
traditional medicine is integrated into western medicine teaching programme in the
world. It gives opportunities for medical students to explore the concepts of
traditional medicine and paves a venue for interested student to venture into the
realms of Myanmar Traditional Medicine at a deeper level.

10. Research in Traditional Medicine
In 1980, Myanmar Traditional Medicine National Formulary (MTMNF) has
been compiled and published. It consisted of 57 numbers of traditional medicine
formulations; each monograph included formulary,
therapeutic uses, cautions and dosage. These
traditional medicines were standardized botanically
and physico-chemically. These were also evaluated
toxicologically and pharmacologically during 1984-
1989. This project has been funded and technically
supported by UNDP and WHO. Five volumes of
MTMNF had been published in English and are
being used as references and guidelines for quality
control system, for health education and for
production of TM drugs in primary health care.
Twelve volumes of “Commonly Used Herbal
Plants” had been published in series during 1997 to
2010. The department also published Myanmar
Traditional Medicine Handbook in Myanmar and
English languages with the support of JICA.
Moreover, Myanmar and English versions of A
Manual of Myanmar Traditional Medicine for Primary Health Workers had been
published with the assistance of WHO.
Two volumes of monographs covering 120
Myanmar medicinal plants had been successfully
published in English during 2000 2006. These volumes
provide valuable information about Myanmar medicinal
plants to national and international scholars.
At the end of the year 2011, 20 medicinal plants
were standardized botanically and phytochemically, for
the development of Myanmar herbal pharmacopoeia
volume (1). Moreover, a research project on "Assessing
the effectiveness of Sapium insigne (Yar-Ke) in the
detoxification of opiate addicts by Traditional Medicine
Approach" has been conducted successfully, with
promising results.