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Back in the early 1970s when Bob Keith first discovered the healing powers of herbs, natural medicine was decidedly not mainstream. Thirty years ago advocates of herbal cures were considered a little "different," perhaps even eccentric.
"Herbal remedies were very alternative back then," said Keith, who owns Dragon Herbarium, an herb emporium on Southwest Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway.
Fast forward almost three decades: Keith's business is riding the crest of a boom in the herbal remedies industry. According to Nutrition Business Journal, sales of medicinal herbs have doubled since 1995 and now amount to more than $5 billion annually nationwide.
The trend is expected to continue as boomers age and traditional approaches to health are questioned, according to Gerald Celente, director of The Trends Research Institute. He forecasts that the entire natural foods and medicines field is primed for growth in the next millennium.
"It's starting to get very mainstream," Keith said, "particularly in the last five to seven years. Interest in herbal remedies has increased considerably." The...