Are traditional medicines a profit-making hoax?

There is a very thoughtful piece in Open Magazine on the problems of using herbal and ayurvedic medicines in the modern age. In many sectors, these medicines take the lion’s share of the market for treatment of many diseases in India — it is a Rs 8,000 crore a year market (over $1 billion). But are they a hoax? Open offers an interesting examination of why it’s such a challenge to find out