Although alternative medicine has the oldest healing practices, it is regaining popularity against a background of rapidly increasing technology in conventional medicine. For conventional health care practitioners, accepting the validity of alternative practices can be difficult, particularly because so little alternative medical training is provided at conventional medicine colleges and universities.

For pharmacy practitioners, herbal medicine presents a contradiction. Pharmacognosy, the study of natural product medicines, is a historical field of study in pharmacy. In addition, many conventional medicines are derived from herbs and other plants. However, in recent years, pharmacy has abandoned its “roots” in favor of clinical practice, and most pharmacists have little knowledge of herbals. No matter the level of pharmacist knowledge or bias on whether herbals can be helpful, the fact of the matter is that more patients are using them. This is sometimes at the risk of significant toxicity. All health care providers, but particularly pharmacists, need to develop a knowledge base of herbal medicines in order to best care for patients.