Herbal Healing

In a new display of Flower Power for the late 1990s, baby boomers are gulping down all sorts of old remedies derived from plants

Feeling a little depressed? You could get a prescription for Prozac or try psychotherapy. But 7.5 million Americans in the past year have instead gulped down an extract made from a bright yellow flower called St. John's wort--available without a prescription at the health-food store in the mall or at the local Wal-Mart. Fear the onset of cold and flu season? You could get a flu shot. Or, like 7.3 million Americans, you could swallow a capsule made from echinacea, a purple-petaled daisy native to the Midwest. Worried that your memory is fading? Then write down this name: ginkgo biloba. It's...

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