Cost is one of the major factors when choosing optimal medical care. In recent years, as there are many options for complementary and alternative therapies, evaluating the economic aspect has become as important as safety and effectiveness. Economic evaluation is the selection of the best option for treatment by analyzing the cost and effectiveness of competing alternatives within a limited budget. It can be applied to both decision-making within health policies as well as for individual clinical interventions. In medicine, direct outcome indicators, such as blood pressure, mortality or survival rates, and quality-adjusted life years are used as indicators of the effectiveness of economic evaluation.

Although many clinical studies of complementary and alternative interventions have been conducted, data on economic evaluation is relatively scarce. It is necessary to do cost-effectiveness analysis and cost-utility analysis in the same manner as the methods in conventional medicine. Simple methods such as costing studies and calculating average cost-effectiveness ratios will also provide basic evidence.

This Special Issue aims to collate studies on the economic evaluation of complementary and alternative medicine. Single intervention, complex interventions, or health promotion programs are all covered. Clinical studies, analytical studies, surveys, review articles, and studies to assess the cost-effectiveness of policies or practices are also welcome.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Application of economic evaluation to complementary and alternative medicine
• Cost-effectiveness analysis of complementary and alternative medicine
• Cost-utility analysis of complementary and alternative medicine
• Current status of economic studies in complementary and alternative medicine
• Willing-to-pay study of consumers toward complementary and alternative medicine
• Economic evaluation of health promotion program using complementary medicine