Passage Summary: While some think herbs aren't prescribed because they don't work, the real reason is that the patent system makes it financially impossible to get the required government approval to sell them as medicine.

Conclusion: The current regulatory and economic system prevents licensed physicians from recommending herbs for medicinal use.

Reasoning: The author points out that the $200 million cost of regulatory approval requires a patent to be profitable, but herbs cannot be patented, making approval—and thus legal sale—impossible.

Analysis: The author employs a classic 'alternative explanation' strategy to structure the argument. By starting with a common claim—that herbs are ignored due to lack of efficacy—the author sets up a straw man to knock down with economic facts. The focus here is strictly on the transition from a popular belief to a systemic explanation. You should identify this as a method where a phenomenon is explained by citing specific institutional or financial constraints rather than the inherent qualities of the subject.