ABSTRACT
Plants are playing an increasing role in human health. About 25% of commonly used prescription drugs are derived from traditionally used medicinal plants (www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs134/en/). Within the United States, plant-based natural products, such as Echinacea (
Echinacea
spp.) or St. John’s wort (
Hypericum perforatum
), are among the most prevalent forms of complementary or alterative medicine (CAM) used, accounting for almost 19% of CAM users (https://nccam.nih.gov/news/ camsurvey_fs1.htm#domain). In 2002, the United States imported more than 200 million kg of medicinal and aromatic botanical raw materials with a total value of about $332 million (Brinkmann, 2004). Other developed countries are seeing a similar prevalence of use. Ernst and Dixon (2004) reported that 56% of the population in West Germany uses natural remedies for a wide range of conditions (e.g., flu, stomach ulcer, bronchitis). Herbal remedies accounted for more than half of the available over-thecounter remedies available in the United Kingdom in 1996. In less-industrialized areas, such as Africa, approximately 80% of the population continues to use herbal medicine for its primary care (www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs134/en/).
