Some people claim that the reason herbs are not prescribed as drugs by licensed physicians is that the medical effectiveness of herbs is seriously in doubt  No drug can be offered for sale, however, unless it has regulatory-agency approval for medicinal use in specific illnesses or conditions  It costs about $200 million to get regulatory-agency approval for a drug, and only the holder of a patent can expect to recover such large expenses  Although methods of extracting particular substances from herbs can be patented, herbs themselves and their medicinal uses cannot be
Ttherefore, under the current system licensed physicians cannot recommend the medicinal use of herbs
a licensed physician cannot recommend the medicinal use of an herb unless that herb is offered for sale as a drug.