Do pharmacists know enough about supplements and traditional medicines?

Community pharmacists are increasingly being called upon to supply information on complementary medicine products, like herbal medicines, vitamins, minerals and other nutritional supplements.Photo: AFP

In the traditional sense of the words, a pharmacy is a place where medicinal drugs are sold and pharmacists are the healthcare professionals who dispense those drugs.

While pharmacies in hospitals and clinics usually adhere strictly to this traditional definition, most retail or standalone pharmacies tend to sell far more products than just prescription and over-the-counter medicines.