420 TAIM, a re-emerging health aid adopted also in Taiwan and exported from Taiwan to the West. Kampo spread rapidly during the period 1985–95; after that, the number of practitioners stabilized at a near- constant level (1,2). By 1985, it was reported that about 20–25% of the medical doctors in Japan were prescribing some herbal medicines in their practice. However, as pointed out by Terasawa Katsutoshi, only about 100 or so doctors were routinely prescribing Kampo medicines to their patients. The proportion of doctors that provide some Kampo medicines has risen to about 50% or more by some estimates, with a proportional increase in Kampo specialists by more than 200. In addition, there are about 10 000 pharmacies in Japan that dispense herbal formulas. In Japan, unlike Western countries, some part of Kampo remedies and acupuncture are covered by public health insurance (1,2). Therefore, Japanese practi- tioners of Kampo and acupuncture would object to their inclusion in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) and would rather regard themselves as belonging to the authentic traditional medicine. Ayurveda, tradi- tional Indian medicine (TIM) and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) remain the most ancient yet living traditions. The history and development of TCM in Taiwan started during the end of the Ming dynasty when large- scale migration from Mainland China took place (3). The migrants brought with them a 2000 year old knowledge of TCM, complemented by the rich flora and fauna of Taiwan and the local knowledge of the aboriginal people. TCM has now become the highest priority in the Taiwan’s blueprint for the development of biotechnology. With thousands of years of accumulated knowledge and experience in herbal medicine, there is a will to preserve it at any cost, although in early communist China it was discouraged. A utilization pattern for herbal medicine is just emerging in Taiwan. Uninformed patients, unscru- pulous traders, adulterated preparations, unlicensed prac- titioners and illegal sources for herbal medicines have been blamed for creating a bad image of herbal medi- cine use in Taiwan (4,5). The decision to cover Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) treatment under Taiwan’s National Health Insurance (NHI) in 1992 had a big impact on the pattern of CHM unitization in Taiwan. Some researchers tried to find some link between the TCM and Ayurveda from the Indian subcontinent and their integration with other systems of medicine, includ- ing Western medicine, to realize the concept of sustain- able medicine (6). In this aspect, several herbal medicines for potential steroidogenic activity have been screened both in vivo and in vitro to analyze their effect on steroid hormones. Traditional Chinese herbal therapy can be characterized by the use of a large number of multi-herb formulae. To provide modern and Western scientists who do not possess background knowledge of Chinese literature and culture easy access to information, a database with more than 11 000 traditional Chinese herbal formulae was constructed (6). All information was then translated into understandable scientific terms in English. Traditional Arabic and Islamic Medicine Joins (TAIM), on the other hand, is based on single plant species or a mixture of a small number of local plant species. According to Olalde Rangel et al. (7), recent past and current naturalists and phytotherapeutic practitioners share a long and impressive tradition of knowledge and pride in curing illnesses. These qualities have been sub- stantiated by the success of Chinese, Kampo, Ayurvedic, Chumash or Mayan among many other traditional medicines. From these traditional medicines it has been demonstrated that every culture is capable of under- standing and ‘inventing’ the meaning of disease and finding probable cures (7). They may even be different from our modern medical views. The variety and extent of cultures to provide answers to traditional medicines and to unsolved pathologies are firmly grounded in the curiosity and observational capabilities of humans. To ensure this culture, there are collective factors, ‘a background of extensive family practice in traditional medicine’ crucial in the transmission and survival of medicinal plant knowledge among ethnic groups. How- ever, there is a possible curtailment of the wisdom and therapies of traditional medicines that comes with geo- graphical and ethnic boundaries. In addition, the number of plants, potential formulations or properties is a for- midable concern for individual caregivers or groups to understand, store and transmit (7). TAIM started hundreds of years ago and were used until recently in many of the primary books in libraries throughout Europe. Research into the TAIM herbs has been conducted in many Arab countries such as Syria, Morocco, Yemen, Egypt and others. The most recent surveys conducted on the potential uses of plant species in the Mediterranean region by ethnopharmacologists recorded 250–290 plant species belonging to different families still in use (8,9). The remedies are administered by practitioners in forms of standard decoction prepared by boiling plant parts in hot water, infusion in water or oil or inhalation of essential oils. It is also taken as juice, syrup, roasted material, fresh salad or fruit, macerated plant parts, oil, milky sap, poultice and paste. In recent years, remedies based on TAIM herbs have been tested in cooperation with physicians and started to be routinely prescribed in Europe and in Mediterranean countries to their patients. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than three-quarters of the world’s population rely upon traditional medicine, mainly herbs (medicinal plants), for health care. Phytotherapy existed in one way or another in different cultures/civilizations, but the systematic and comprehensive works of Ibn Sina (Avicena in the West) in the form of Al-Qanun-fil-Tib (Canon of Medicine) occupies an eminent place in the