TRAMIL is and investigation project applied to the popular traditional medicine of Haiti, Dominican Republic and of other Caribbean countries. It was born out of a common effort from enda-caribbean, the Laboratory of the Natural Substances of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Port-au-Prince, the Federation of Rural Associations of Zambrana-Chacuey, Dominican Republic, and the clinic SOE of Thomonde, in the Central plain of Haiti. It aims to improve and rationalize the popular medical practices based on the use of medicinal plants.
Our interest for this popular wisdom aims to enable locals to take charge, as much as possible, of their own health problems. However, it's important to know the limits between what is a simple belief and what is a useful and effective remedy. For that reason our research relies on scientific studies that are presently carried out through a network of collaborators.
We are particularly focused on the applied aspect of our research, as one of the important objectives is decreasing the costs of medical treatment. We want to obtain this goal by making available to the locals, and the basic paramedical personnel, practical knowledge for the treatment with plants of some current affections. As well, this represents the minimum cost. Moreover, it respects the popular tradition.
TRAMIL is also an investigation-action project that is a formation tool for doctors, pharmacists, and health personnel in general who are enrolled in the programs of basic health. This investigation will allow the to communities and researchers to have better understanding of some health problems. This investigation will allow to communities and researchers a better understanding of some health problems. Moreover, it will shed a new light on the alternative solutions to certain health problems that would be, of course, both technically and economically viable. Our approach is defined as realistic and rigorous, and is aiming to a better understanding and complementarity between the institutional medicine and the popular therapies.
To achieve it, we are convinced about the necessity of a multidisciplinary approach, and that is why our data collection process and synthesis discussion groups work with ethnologists, (ethno)botanists, phytochemists, pharmacologists, doctors and country people.
It is for this reason that we considered necessary a thickening of experience exchanges and of the intercaribbean collaboration. This expansion of collaboration has taken place through the growing number of participants coming to the TRAMIL workshops from this geographical area, and through the formation of a network of collaborators responsible for the scientific research scheduled during these seminars.