Herbal and Traditional Medicines, Now and Future

Herbal medicines (HM) include herbs, herbal materials, herbal preparations (comminuted or powdered herbal materials, or extracts, tinctures, and fatty oils of herbal materials), and finished or manufactured herbal products found in pharmaceutical dosage forms (tablets, capsules) [1]. Although there are few reliable estimates of the prevalence in use of HM [2], the market for HM continues to expand rapidly and has grown into a multibillion-dollar industry across the world [3]. The influence of religious, sociocultural, and socioeconomic issues, traditional practices, and belief in the use of HM is evident, particularly in Chinese, Indian, and African societies. Documented use of HM in Western societies is also high [4, 5]. Among consumers, there is widespread belief that remedies of natural origin are safe. Worldwide, most HM can be obtained from various sources without a prescription.