[[File:Medieval Herbal MedecineHerbarium Apuleii Platonici.jpggif|thumb|350px|left|Medieval Illustration from a 12th century copy of The Herbal medecineof Apuleius]]
Herbal medicine -- also called botanical medicine or phytomedicine -- refers to using a plant's seeds, berries, roots, leaves, bark, or flowers for medicinal purposes. Herbalism has a long tradition of use outside of conventional medicine. It is becoming more mainstream as improvements in analysis and quality control along with advances in clinical research show the value of herbal medicine in the treating and preventing disease.
==Herbal Medicine in History==