Databases devoted to herbal medicines and natural products have been established in several countries and areas including China, Hong Kong, Japan and the United States. Easy access to such databases greatly facilitates the efforts of those interested in herbal medicines. Since the maintenance of such databases and access to them are costly, a government financial subsidy may be necessary in order to assure access of researchers and health planners to the information needed to hasten the rational use of herbal medicines in their countries.