 Traditional medicine, traditional medicine also known as indigenous or folk medicine comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within various societies before the era of modern medicine. The World Health Organization who defines traditional medicine as the sum total of the knowledge, skills, and practices based on the theories, beliefs, and experiences indigenous to different cultures, whether explicable or not, used in the maintenance of health as well as in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement toward treatment of physical and mental illness. In some Asian and African countries, up to 80 percent of the population relies on traditional medicine for their primary health care needs. When adopted outside its traditional culture, traditional medicine is often considered a form of alternative medicine. Practices known as traditional medicines include traditional European medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, traditional Korean medicine, traditional African medicine, Kheir Vizheh, Siddhi Chet medicine, Unity, ancient Iranian medicine, Iranian Persian-Islamic medicine, Muti, and Iefa. Scientific disciplines which study traditional medicine include hergillism, ethno-medicine, ethnobody, and medical anthropology. The who-notes, however, that inappropriate use of traditional medicines or practices can have negative or dangerous effects and that further research is needed to ascertain the efficacy and safety of several of the practices and medicinal plants used by traditional medicine systems. Ultimately, the World Health Organization has implemented a nine-year strategy to support member states in developing proactive policies and implementing action plans that will strengthen a role traditional medicine plays in keeping populations healthy.