Alternative medicine has grown into a $3.5 billion industry in Australia, covering  everything from vitamin supplements and acupuncture to herbs and homeopathy. In this detailed article published in The Age, journalists Harriet Alexander and Nicky Phillips draw on a number Cochrane reviews to explore the evidence for what works (St John's wort for depression, Vitamin D for pregnant women and the elderly, African geranium for treating cold symptoms) and what doesn’t (Vitamin C for treating and preventing a cold, Echinacea for treating and preventing a cold, and Ginseng for improving brain function).