The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 4 billion people in the world use herbs. Herbs have been used medicinally by all cultures throughout history and presently in primary health care. Today, an increasing number of Americans are using herbal medicine to treat their health conditions because of no unwanted side effects. Herb plants produce and contain a variety of natural ingredients that act upon the body. Many drugs commonly used today are of herbal origin, such as digitalis, derived from foxglove, in cardiac conditions. Indeed, about 25 percent of the prescription drugs dispensed in the United States contain at least one active ingredient derived from plant material.

The minimization of side effects while maintaining clinical efficacy is the chief benefit of herbal formulas. Their comparatively gentle action reduces the potential for side effects drugs cause. Using single herbs require higher dosages to achieve therapeutic effect, thus increasing potential of side effects such as in drug therapy.

Because drugs are a strong and powerful medicine, they can have a tendency to negatively interact with each other and with other substances, such as food or herbs. So it is important to understand potential interactions if you are taking pharmaceutical interventions. However, taking herbs and drugs two hours apart from each other will usually eliminate the cause of this scenario.