Abstract:
This article presents the preliminary findings of a pilot study of the practice, uses, and
effectiveness of traditional medicine in Ghana. Based on in-depth interviews with local key
practitioners and users of traditional medicine, the article points to some of the educational
significance of local cultural knowledge on the environment and the relevance of such
knowledge for science education in Ghana. In the discussion the authors briefly highlight
general themes relating to local understandings of traditional medicine, the distinctions
between traditional and plant medicine, contestations between traditional medicine and
orthodox medicine, local conceptions of health and a healthy individual, the economics of
health, and the lessons of science and public education. Although the findings of the study
are preliminary, the article argues that much is to be gained for educational purposes
through the critical study of traditional medicine, particularly in terms of the promotion of
science and community education in Ghana.
