Codified traditional knowledge is “traditional knowledge which is in some systematic and structured form, in which the knowledge is ordered, organized, classified and categorized in some manner.”

In the field of traditional medicine, for example, the Traditional Medicine Team of the World Health Organization (WHO) distinguishes between (a)  codified systems of traditional medicine, which have been disclosed in writing in ancient scriptures and are fully in the public domain, e.g. Ayurveda disclosed in ancient Sanskrit scriptures or Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) disclosed in ancient Chinese medical texts;  and (b)  non-codified traditional medicinal knowledge which has not been fixed in writing, often remains undisclosed by traditional knowledge holders, and is passed on in oral traditions from generation to generation.  In South Asia, for instance, the codified knowledge systems include the Ayurvedic system of medicine, which is codified in the 54 authoritative books of the Ayurvedic System, the Siddha system, as codified in 29 authoritative books, and the Unani Tibb tradition, as codified in 13 authoritative books.

Another distinction has been made, namely between (i) traditional knowledge which has been codified, i.e., traditional knowledge which appears in written form, and which is in the public domain; and (ii)  traditional knowledge which is not codified and which forms part of the oral traditions of indigenous communities.  The “List and Brief Technical Explanation of Various Forms in which Traditional Knowledge may be Found” discusses codified traditional knowledge and non-codified traditional knowledge further.