Pharmacognosy is still a relevant science for the discovery of future medicines, with Japan and the USA very active in the field. Researchers are encouraged to be mindful of the ethical issues with using natural products as medicines.

For example, consideration has to be given to conservation of different plants to make sure that specific plants and organisms are not put at risk. Additionally, there must be high standards of quality control to ensure plants used for medicinal purposes are correctly identified and any drugs derived from them are of sufficient purity to be safe for use.