Why Asian MAPs?
Asia has abundant species of MAPs. Traditional medicine has been practiced in Asia since ancient times. The Chinese and the Indians have made use of medicinal plants to cure ailments for thousands of years. Similarly, most other Asian countries have developed their own systems of traditional medicine by modifying the Chinese and/or Indian systems. Asia is also well known for its aromatic plants, particularly spices. Moluccas and Sri Lanka, for example, are both known as “Spice Island:” The famous “Spice Route” has linked Venice, Arabia, Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia (Malacca), Indonesia (Java and Moluccas) and China through spice trading since the 16th century. Asia has several advantages over other regions, such as well-documented knowledge, long-standing practice of traditional medicine, and the potential for social and economic development of MAPs in large-scale primary health care programmes and industrial-scale production. Moreover, the potential to expand cooperation among countries
