1.   Analysts and industry executives say the market for alternative medicine market amounts to billions, though the exact amount is up in the air.

2.   Pharmacists have staged protests of their own, demanding a fuller access to the herbal medicine market.

3.   The high prices Asian dealers pay to supply a thriving traditional medicine market threatens other species.

4.   The New Jersey-based Pharmacia said acquisition would strengthen its position in the cold and cough medicine market.