Despite high funding gaps in research, scientists and Indigenous leaders unite for the first time to advance Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – October 19, 2025 – In a historic first, scientists, policymakers, and indigenous leaders from more than 70 countries came together in Rio de Janeiro at the 3rd World Congress on Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) to share evidence on how integrating Traditional & Complementary Medicine with conventional medicine can improve patient outcomes and strengthen public health.

“For the first time, we brought together traditional knowledge and science from around the world to build a more balanced, human, and climate-friendly future, but the global funding gap is huge,” said Prof. Dr. Ricardo Ghelman, Chair of the Congress.

Despite growing global use – one in three people worldwide rely on some form of traditional medicine – less than 1% of health research budgets are devoted to TCIM[1]. In 2021/2022, that share was 0% in Europe, under 0.2% in Australia and the USA, and 6.3% in South Korea.

“Traditional medicine – the people’s medicine – is used by billions. It’s time for a bold leap in research to match reality”, said Dr. Tabatha Parker, TCIH Coalition board member.

In the run up to COP30, new data shows how human and planetary health are linked. With 50% of the global population living with a chronic disease, our food and dietary impact accounts for 22% of non communicable diseases (NCD’s). For Prof. Dr. Brenda Leung, of the Public Health at the University of Lethbridge, Canada: “Growing evidence shows how traditional medicine, indigenous knowledge, and biodiversity are inseparable – biodiversity sustains medicinal wisdom, while indigenous cultures safeguard and nurture it.”

“We are living the consequences of climate change. Nature is not for sale, it has the food and medicine we need. It is not possible to build a public health system without listening to the people”, said Prof. Putira Sacuena, Director of the Department of Indigenous Primary Health Care/SESAI at Brazilian Ministry of Health.

Although a few countries like Brazil, China, India, Iran, South Korea and Switzerland regulate and integrate TCIM into their public health system, most don’t.

“How can we regulate traditional medicine, if we don’t integrate it? There is a real imbalance, we also need to train both the traditional healers and the medical doctors to work together”, said Prof. Motlalepula Matsabisa, African Traditional Medicine expert and pharmacology researcher at the University of the Free State (UFS) South Africa.

Research from six regions demonstrated TCIM’s benefits when safely regulated and integrated into public health systems, including reduced symptoms, fewer costly referrals, lower antibiotic use, and improved mental health and chronic disease management.

“Western health systems must urgently learn from diverse traditional knowledge to move from repair to prevention – harnessing TCIM’s power to sustain health and prevent disease”, said Prof. Dr. Georg Seifert, President of the European Society for Integrative Medicine.

Dr. Hiba Boujnah, Head of International Cooperation and Partnerships at the Charité Competence Center for Traditional and Integrative Medicine (CCCTIM) underlined: “As we integrate traditional medicine into healthcare systems, we must do so with humility and care. Indigenous practices should not be commercialized or taken out of context, and integration must be guided by respect, reciprocity, and fair benefit-sharing”.

Evidence includes:

  • Implementation and initial evidence of efficacy and safety of traditional and complementary medical practices in hospitals in countries worldwide.
  • Integrative Pediatric evidence map presented 160 systematic reviews from 74 countries showing 73% of positive effects for mental health, pain reduction, oncology and respiratory and gastrointestinal disorders.
  • Ayurvedic Medicine used for pediatric and elderly care in India.
  • Data from 312 systematic reviews show the crucial role of green spaces and nature-based interventions in improving physical and mental health, with new evidence maps indicating 94% positive effects on anxiety, depression, obesity, and diabetes – especially in urban areas.
  • Within the Chinese public health system, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Integrative Medicine account for 30% of services, 30,000 prescriptions and 19 tons of herbal medicine per day.
  • Since COVID-19, growing interest and research in herbal and traditional treatments in Africa, Latin America and Europe, but severe lack of funding and policies.
  • Cancer support and care to improve quality of life and control cancer related symptoms based on Society of Integrative Oncology (ASCO SIO) Guidelines.
  • Ayahuasca and psychedelic-assisted therapy to treat severe depression in Latin America.
  • Artificial Intelligence applications on TCIM to identify medicinal plants and strengthen global research
  • An award-winning study on Integrative and Complementary Practices with ArtScience for children in vulnerable communities showed how creativity and empathy can transform health and education.
  • Mistletoe therapy to reduce cancer treatment side-effects in Europe, South America and India; mind-body medicine like mindfulness-based stress reduction and yoga to treat chronic pain; and use of cupping and acupuncture to support people experiencing homelessness and addiction in Brazil.

“This congress showcased how TCIM is expanding the methodological and thematic frontiers of the health sciences – uniting ancestral wisdom and innovation – via creative, human-centered, and sustainable approaches to global health.”said Dr. Caio Fábio Schlechta Portella, Chair of the Scientific Committee of the 3rd WCTCIM 2025.

“Rigorous TCIM research is laying the foundation for integration into healthcare systems worldwide—the field is finding its own voice in science,” says Prof. Holger Cramer, University of Tübingen and Past President of ISCMR.

The congress brought together 1,300 participants from 70 countries, with 664 peer-reviewed abstracts from 47 countries – including 61% research, 31% experience reports, and 8% clinical case reports – under the theme: “Strengthening Global Public Health through TCIM: Knowledge Diversity, Well-Being Societies, and Planetary Health.”

“We now have a clear opportunity to integrate real world data from TCIM clinical practice”, says Prof. Jeffery Dusek, of the BraveNet Practice Based Research Network of TCIM- which includes 34 members from the US, South Korea, Australia, Israel, Canada and Brazil.

“Bringing together practitioners, researchers, and students worldwide creates a powerful network to advance evidence-based, integrative, and self-care approaches for a healthier, more holistic future”, said Prof. Mariana Cabral Schveitzer, of the Universidade Federal de São Paulo, and former president of CABSIN.

A key statement from the Brazilian Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha on mission in China and India, was read at the closing ceremony: “We renew, as BRICS leaders, our mutual agreement to strengthen traditional medicine in each health system and to expand exchanges. I visited traditional Chinese medicine hospitals in China and Ayurvedic medicine facilities in India to value and engage with these realities. Count on the Brazilian Ministry of Health to support Traditional Medicine in Brazil and in International Forums.”

Recommendations from Rio will feed into the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Summit, Delhi, India, December 17–19, 2025, building on the WHO Global Strategy on TCIM (2025–2034) approved in May.

Organized by the Brazilian Academic Consortium for Integrative Health (CABSIN), International Society of Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine Research (ISCMR), and European Society for Integrative Medicine (ESIM); the event also highlighted Brazil’s integrative health leadership. Under its National Policy on Integrative and Complementary Practices (PNPIC)– marking 20 years in 2026 – Brazil’s public health system (SUS) provided over nine million TCIM consultations in 2024, a 70% increase in two years.

Press contacts:

  • Jaciara Rodrigues (+55 21) 98121-2474 (Port/Eng/Sp)
  • Samantha Bolton +41 79 239 23 66 (Eng/Fr/lt/Sp)
  • [email protected]

More info: https://wctcim.cabsin.org.br/new/

[1] Global health funding for research in TCIM (e.g. in US, equivalent to $159.3 million, of around $96.48 billion of the United States’ National Institute of Health research budget) https://www.intergmed.org/journal/view.php?number=47