Natural therapies account for a third of over-the-counter spending

One in every three dollars spent on non-prescription medicines is spent on vitamins and other natural health products.

The latest report on Australia's health showed that nearly $1.5 billion was spent on natural health products in 2015-16, which includes herbal medicines, homeopathic preparations and probiotics.

Spending on natural health therapies grew by 21 per cent from 2014-15, making it the fastest growing category of over-the-counter medications.

Foot care products and medicines for digestion experienced the next highest growth in spending.

What should I read next?

• The vitamins in your cupboard are probably doing nothing for your health
• Codeine is coming off the shelves this week. Here's what you need to know
• Herbal supplements should be tested for safety, researchers say, questioning quality of drugs

Want more charts?

This is part of a new daily series featuring charts which tell a story. If you know of some data that fits the bill, we'd love to hear about it.

• The most popular birth control methods aren't the most effective
• The country where a quarter of all deaths are due to booze (and how we compare)
• House prices are slipping, and we're not alone in that