From folklore to pharmacy: Putting plants into practice.

The use of medicinal plants is as old as the hills (and valleys and plains) where they grow. In this brief review, we have set out to emphasize the need for rigor in the assessment of any medicines-whatever their source-as we seek to translate apparently important observations on the efficacy of plant concoctions into real-time clinical practice for the benefit of our fellow men and women. We shall use examples of recently studied compounds that have touched the world of dermatology to illustrate some of the pitfalls and also to draw attention to some of the successes in moving from "folklore to pharmacy."