The Provost of the College of Health Sciences the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Prof. Christian Agyare, has called for evidence-based practice in herbal medicine in the country.

He has, therefore, stressed the need for rigorous research, quality assurance, and professional excellence in herbal medicine practice in the country.

Prof. Agyare said this at the opening of this year’s Ghana Association of Medical Herbalists (GAMH) Conference in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

The conference, which was on the theme: "Strengthening evidence-based practice for global health and sustainable development," is expected to serve as a timely platform for medical herbalists to reflect on their practice, collaborate, and advance the profession.

"Across the world, health systems are re-examining what they once dismissed.

Traditional and complementary medicine, once relegated to the margins of formal health care, is increasingly being asked to sit at the same table as conventional medical practice," Prof. Agyare said.

Prof. Agyare asked if herbalists were practising as rigorously as they should, collaborating enough or whether they were making the case with evidence rather than assumptions for the place of herbal medicine in modern health care.

He said the conference gave herbalists the space to address those questions.

"Quality assurance, rigorous research, and professional excellence are no longer optional extras for our profession.

They are the price of admission," he declared and emphasised that the recognition comes with a significant condition: evidence.

The KNUST Provost observed that the global health community was increasingly looking to traditional medicine to complement conventional healthcare delivery.

He, however, stressed that the opportunity demands a shift in how medical herbalists approach their work.

He described the conference as a significant milestone, saying it represented the collective voice of a profession that had travelled a long and often difficult road towards recognition.

“I hope to honour that trust today," he said.

He also expressed his personal joy and honour at being part of a gathering that served as a platform for professional development and reflection.