Thank you very much for your inclusion of this stimulating debate from two icons of conventional and integrative medicine.1 Both sides made compelling points in eminently quotable prose. Many ethnobotanists and natural-product researchers would emphasize that the views of these luminaries need not be mutually exclusive. I believe that herbal medicine in particular is wholly compatible with the scientific medicine. Although the information is not easy to find in all instances, modern texts available from the American Botanical Council and databases such as PubMed will provide the reader with a wealth of supportive material on ginkgo biloba, St. John's wort, echinacea, and other current herbal superstars.
My hope is that dissemination of this material and further well-designed research will serve to reintegrate herbal treatment to its rightful place as part of mainstream medical practice.
