In the United States, the market for medicinal herbs is worth more than $3 billion. Many of the plants supplying this industry are wild collected in vast quantities because techniques to cultivate them on a commercial scale have not been developed. Consider the implications of such popularity for these plants. More than 60 million consumers in the US take herbal remedies. More doctors are recommending herbal medicines and some health insurance plans offer coverage for alternative health treatments such as herbal remedies. The more we use medicinal herbs on a commercial scale the more important it is to ensure that they come from sustainable sources sot hat these plants will continue to exist in wild places. Increasingly medicinal species that reside in natural areas have received scientific and commercial attention.

Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Medicinal plants of the American West. 3. Canada's and Alberta's medicinal plant industry. 4. Famous medicinal plants of North America. 5. North American important medicinal plants. Bibliography. Index.