The Rise of Natural Medicine: How Herbs and Natural Remedies Are Capturing Major Consumer Health Markets

The Rise of Natural Medicine: How Herbs and Natural Remedies Are Capturing Major Consumer Health Markets

In the age of technology and advanced medicine, consumers around the world have increasingly looked to the treatment methods of our ancestors in recent years. There is a clear trend toward natural medicine and herbs as health solutions on a global scale, according to a new report from the Nicholas Hall Group.

The Nicholas Hall Group has in their report analyzed the development of nine important markets (Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Italy, Japan and the USA). In 2017, these markets combined generated $1.564 billion in revenue from herbal and natural medicine sales. China and the USA made the largest contributions here. In the same year, the total herbal and natural medicine market reached $33 billion, representing growth of 5.0%. This means that the growth of natural medicine exceeds that of conventional, allopathic medicines, which was 3.0%.

Prioritizing health and wellness

Some of the factors influencing this impressive growth are the increased awareness and prioritization of health and wellness, as well as the trend towards natural and herbal medicines and supplements. Herbal-based preparations in particular have become very popular as they are often viewed as safer alternatives to allopathic options and are increasingly recommended for children. Increasing control and regulation of ingredients in medications has also led to increased concerns about the safety of conventional medicines. This has increased the appreciation of herbs and natural medicine, supported by scientific studies and clinical research supporting their effectiveness.

Probiotics are the fastest growing group among natural remedies, with an average growth of 11% per year since 2013. This growth is driven by increasing awareness of their health benefits, consumer focus on prevention, the development of new niches and increasing segmentation. Probiotics are particularly popular among children, and their uses have expanded beyond the usual gut health and immune system benefits to cover areas such as women's, mother and baby health, metabolism, stress and healthy aging.

In addition, herbal and natural cough medicines (with an average growth of over 8% per year) and topical analgesics (over 7% per year) are emerging as further growth areas. Herbal and natural cough medicines are increasingly in demand due to safety concerns over allopathic options and restrictions on certain ingredients such as DXM and codeine. Important growth segments here are preparations with ivy extract, thyme and honey. Topical analgesics underline the effectiveness of herbal and natural formulations. Ingredients such as menthol, camphor, methyl salicylate, comfrey, capsaicin and arnica are popular and are often promoted by prominent brand ambassadors, particularly in markets such as the US and Japan.

The analysis of the market also shows clear regional differences: traditional Chinese medicine is predominant in China, while Ayurvedic medicine dominates in India. Homeopathy is particularly widespread in Europe and the USA.

This rise in natural medicine shows that consumers worldwide are looking for alternative and natural solutions to their health problems. The data highlights the growing importance of herbs and natural remedies in the healthcare landscape and we can expect this trend to continue to grow in the coming years.