This handout summarizes a workshop on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in cardiovascular, lung, and blood research. It was co-sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The workshop focused on the increasing public use of CAM and the need for credible scientific research. Areas of research discussed included the history of CAM, clinical trial methodology, herbal medicine, chelation therapy, meditation therapy, and acupuncture. The workshop recommended fundamental mechanistic research and carefully designed clinical trials to evaluate CAM approaches safely and avoid unnecessary risk. Standardization of botanical products and CAM procedures was seen as important to enable meaningful research. Potential herb-drug interactions are a