The market researcher noted the market had grown 18 per cent since 2007 to be worth ￡213m (�247m) in 2009. By 2013 it would be worth ￡282m (�328m) – a 33 per cent increase.
Mintel attributed the market growth to the increasing acceptance of alternative medicines with many of them being recommended through official channels such as the National Health Service.
With increasing numbers suffering from mental ailments such as stress and depression, herbal treatments such as St John's Wort were being used more frequently and by greater numbers of people.
It is estimated 1.5 Britons bought St John’s wort in 2009.
BBC cans CAM
However the UK complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) industry took a blow in 2008 when the state-owned British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) withdrew a section devoted to CAM from its online portal.
At the time, the BBC responded to a query from the British Complementary Medicine Association (BCMA), by stating the section's removal was part of an ongoing process of review.
"We strive to ensure that content is both of a high editorial standard and is as up-to-date and complete as possible," the BBC spokesperson said. "As part of this ongoing activity we will often remove elements of the site which we feel do not meet these requirements, and where significant investment would be required to rectify this situation."
