Abstract
This study critically examines the challenges of regulating traditional herbal medicine in Ghana,
highlighting the epistemic tensions between indigenous healing systems and biomedical regulatory
frameworks. Drawing on Comtean theory, it explores how traditional practitioners, whose knowledge
is rooted in experience and community validation, are regulated by the biomedical standards of
professionalism. The study identifies key barriers to pharmacovigilance, including informal ‘one-man
business’ models, a lack of standardised formulations, and fragmented oversight. It further questions the state’s attempt to professionalise traditional medicine through higher education, revealing that broad, non-specialised curricula and structural constraints lead many graduates to pursue careers outside herbal medicine. These findings underscore the limitations of policy models that privilege scientific rationality over indigenous epistemologies. The study argues for a more inclusive regulatory approach that valorises traditional knowledge, fosters epistemic pluralism, and enables meaningful integration into Ghana’s health system. Effective regulation must reconcile diverse ways of knowing to ensure safety, legitimacy, and sustainability in traditional medicine practice.
