India’s Constitution recognizes the right to health, yet Universal Health Care faces significant challenges, particularly for vulnerable populations. These challenges include deteriorating infrastructure, a shortage of healthcare professionals, and rising costs. However, a valuable and culturally aligned alternative exists: Local Health Traditions (LHTs). These traditions are rooted in oral knowledge passed down through generations, encompassing diverse practices such as the use of wild edibles, midwifery, bone-setting, and herbal healing. Practitioners from over 3,600 ethnic communities continue to provide essential health services in rural areas, offering preventive, promotive, and curative care. With an estimated one million grassroots healers, LHTs play a crucial role in community health. LHTs also showcase a rich knowledge of medicinal plants, with over 7,500 species identified by these practitioners. While not flawless, studies by ICAR, AYUSH, NDDB, and NGOs demonstrate that these traditions provide practical and effective solutions for human, animal, and crop health. Recognizing their value, policies like the AYUSH Policy 2002 and the National Health Policy 2017 have endorsed the role of LHTs, though there remains a gap in translating this into actionable programs. At TDU, we are committed to the scientific revitalization of Local Health Traditions. Through collaboration with the Quality Council of India, we have introduced an ISO standard for Personnel Certification of LHT carriers, the Voluntary Certification Scheme of Traditional Community Healthcare Providers (VCSTCHP) enhancing the social legitimacy of village healers. To date, we have certified over 2,000 practitioners, but the journey to fully revitalizing LHTs in India is ongoing.