Comments on the growth of herbal supplements in Australia.

1. Consumer dissatisfaction with mainstream medicine.

2. The internet enables information and mis-information to be readily disseminated.

3. Greater number of published studies.  Science journalists very often sensationalise the findings, often implying likely clinical benefit when there is no evidence for this.  Extrapolating from in vitro and animal studies is common.  In vitro studies often use micromolar concentrations not possible for oral dosing.

I work in the UK with nutrition rather than herbalism, but it seems to me that people look for alternative or complementary therapies because

1. they have been many times to doctors and have not found relief from their problems,

2. they feel doctors have not listened to them, and in some cases were rude,

3. they have had side effects from doctors' treatments,

4. they have read about drug and hospital scandals, like Thalidomide, Vioxx, Mid-Staffordshire hospital, and Baby Peter,

5. some doctors made promises that were not delivered,

6. some doctors contradicted themselves and each other,

7. some doctors said things that are clearly untrue,

8. their friends and relatives have been through horrible treatments and still died,

9. When they complained about harmful effects of treatment, the hospitals did not take any notice, just pretending that no harm had been done, and refusing to learn from their mistakes.

Clearly there are excellent doctors and successful treatments, but some people do not have a good experience and look elsewhere.

When the National Health Service was set up, in 1948, it was thought that it would deal with a backlog of diseases, and then people would be healthier. Yet now the NHS carries out more consultations than ever before. That suggests it would benefit from a change in how it approaches patients, perhaps by promoting health rather than responding to disease. This would of course require a change in training. According to statistics, the NHS has been much more successful than American medicine, at much less cost. However, people are not as trusting as they used to be.

Christine & Margaret:

We really appreciate sharing your very elaborate perspectives on this question (and larger issue).  As we progress on this project certainly more questions will emerge and we hope we will continue to receive your contributions.

Thanks Ezra.  Feel free to keep in touch abut this issue.

People in Mexico as in many other countries where native population is an important percentage of the population have consumed herbal productos as thier primary medicine. In general in my country, specially in urban areas the reasons for the surge may be these three.

1. Increased Availability of herbal products

2. Lower Cost vs pharmaceutical synthetic drugs

3. Trust in their efficacy in one sector of the population (lower classes) and greater access to information regarding efficacy and safety in the middle and upper class in urban areas.

Thanks Mauricio. We hope we can count on you as more questions emerge. 

Certainly Ezra, Congratulations for this work

Personally, I think cost of medications, fear of side-effects of medications, and marketing of herbal remedies are the reasons.

Velma M. Edmonds, DNS, RN

1. Ease of availability

2. Perception/ fear of drug contraindication- statin vs red yeast rice, nattokinase vs prescription blood thinners  

3. Consumers tired of being shuttle cocks between various physicians who are treating a pill for every symptom versus using precision nutrition/ medicine and systems biology approach

Velma and Aarti:

Thanks for your input. Please keep in touch via Researchgate.

Hi, 

For my country (Romania) I believe that the main 3 causes are

1. Fear and insatisfaction towards synthetic drugs 

2. Internet - with many "miraculous" herbal treatments, but also with aggressive anti allopathic treatments attitude

3. Tradition- long time predominantly rural, naturist treatments were all the people could afford, and some of them were efficient too!

Good luck with your work!

Thanks Carmen. We appreciate to hear the vision from Romania about this issue.