Herbal dietary supplements are among the most popular treatment options, used by about 12 to 34% of respondents. Market analyses indicate that the size of the herbal market increased from approximately S 1.6 billion in 1994 to $4 billion in the US in 1998. In 1999, the total US supplement market including vitamins, minerals, herbal and homeopathic remedies was evaluated at $14.5 billion, while the respective figure for Europe is about S 12.3 billion. The objective of this assessment was to evaluate the evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses of the effectiveness of popular herbal medicines for selected conditions.