I think you are conflating several issues here.<p>Firstly there is a difference between natural product and traditional cures &#x2F; medicine.  See the below link for the recent Nobel prize, or just imagine the difference between chemical isolation of aspirin and understanding it&#x27;s pathways and &quot;chew some bark of that tree&quot;<p>I think it is fair and valid for scientific inquiry to be considered seperate and more than traditional correlation.<p>However i also think that patents on scientific outcomes are a bad thing and in general should be avoided.<p>So, yes patent is bad. No don&#x27;t give &quot;traditional cures&quot; any special protection, and don&#x27;t give &quot;natural products&quot; any distinction from other areas of scientific inquiry.<p>Do have ethical committees however :-)<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;scienceblogs.com&#x2F;insolence&#x2F;2015&#x2F;10&#x2F;07&#x2F;the-2015-nobel-prize-in-physiology-or-medicine-for-the-discoverer-of-artemisinin-a-triumph-of-natural-product-pharmacology-not-traditional-chinese-medicine&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;scienceblogs.com&#x2F;insolence&#x2F;2015&#x2F;10&#x2F;07&#x2F;the-2015-nobel-...</a>