Botanical Medicine Predictions for 2009

Here are my predictions concerning botanical medicine for 2009. I divided them into three categories: high, moderate, and low probability events.

Low Probability

1. The US FDA will ban the use of kava from the US market.

2. Several herbal supplement manufacturers will go under Chapter 11.

Moderate Probability

1. New herbal supplements companies will need to register with the FDA.

2. St. John wort supplements will be granted a non-prescription medication status by the FDA.

High Probability

1. The use of herbal supplements by the public will increase by 10%.

2. More men will use herbal supplements on a daily basis than ever before.

3. More Traditional Chinese Medicine herbs will be used in the US.

4. Because of an increase compitition, the price of most supplements will decrease.

5. More emphasis on drug/herb interaction will be recommended by the American Medical Association.

6. People will read and study more on this topic than ever before.

Recommended reading:

From Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw_0_12?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=botanical+medicine&sprefix=botanical+me