For the majority of the Ugandan population, traditional natural medicine (TNM) is the usual and only affordable access to primary healthcare. Medicines obtained from plants play a prominent role. The identity and purity of the species used as well as recommendations for use and efficacy are the result of oral traditions. High demand is contrasted by a small data base and the use of ineffective herbal substances.
As a result of the project, an exemplary value chain for the commercial use of traditional medicinal plants is to be developed, including product development/design and, if necessary, authorisation process from the producers of the plant material via (intermediate) traders to the end customers. In the long term, the income opportunities of poorer population groups, especially women, are to be improved through the standardised and scientifically supported cultivation of selected traditional medicinal plants and their sustainable commercial use.