Ethnomedicine is the comparative study of how different cultures view disease and how they treat or prevent it.

It is also the medical beliefs and practices of indigenous cultures, and the study of healing systems; the herbs, spices and foods that are nourishing physically and medicinally.

Ethnomedicine is concerned with the cultural interpretations of health, disease and illness and also addresses the health care-seeking process and healing practices.

Ethnomedicine is a sub-field of medical anthropology and deals with the study of traditional medicines, not only those that have relevant written sources (e.g. Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda), but especially those, whose knowledge and practices have been orally transmitted over the centuries.

In the scientific arena, ethnomedical studies are generally characterized by a strong anthropological approach, more than a bio-medical one. The focus of these studies then is the perception and context of use of traditional medicines, and not their bio-evaluation.