Letter: Herbs, not pills

YOUR ARTICLE "Herbs hold clue to curing dementia" (7 June) does not mention Ginkgo biloba, a herb already used to delay the onset of dementia symptoms. It is the best-selling herbal medicine in Germany and France, where it is available on prescription and licensed for "delaying the onset of ageing". Such herbs are very effective in their natural state. Why then do they have to be turned into drugs?

Frances Ive

Chipstead, Surrey