Cost and Availability

One of the deciding factors in choosing between prescription medication and herbal remedies is the cost difference between the two.  For example, a prescription medication for arthritis called Celebrex, costs over $4/day, while ginger supplements commonly used for inflammation and arthritis pain relievers costs about $0.38/day (Kelley & Bloyd, 2007).  In regards to actually obtaining prescription medication, it is frustrating to many people when they have just a common sinus infection, a stomach ache, or anything else that is not in emergent need of a doctors attention.  Minor illnesses like these often require an appointment to be made, a co-pay or an entire office visit to be paid for, depending on insurance, driving to the pharmacy, waiting for the prescription to be filled, and paying for the often expensive medication.  This is a time consuming and costly process for simple problems that can be healed by things you have laying around the house or are available by just a drive to the local grocery store.

Natural vs. Man Made 

It has been said that herbal medicine is entirely the starting point of modern medicine.  A majority of drugs are derived from different plants or natural supplements that are then tested in a lab against different viruses and bacteria to eventually be turned into pharmaceutical drugs.  So, why not use the 100% natural product rather than ones that have been processed in a lab, mixed with a variety of unnatural products and lost much of its true and natural value in the process?

Natural remedies also bring additional benefits to the the target solution.  You could be boosting your immunity, clearing up your skin, or boosting your vitamin supply while your headache is being cured quite simply by something that is natural and easily available.  Prescription drugs do not give you this benefit.

Overall, there is room in medicine for both approaches and different parts of the field where one or the other is more appropriate.  It cannot be argued that the strength of modern medicine is a miracle for serious illness and sometimes even what is thought to be a terminal illness can be cured through these medical advances.  However, herbal medicine is extremely useful for everyday illness and is more accessible and cost efficient.