Dammit!

[harm_less]

The problem with using the source material is simply a market driven issue. Firstly supply - we would need to grow millions of acres of monoculture to provide the herbs we need to process for the properties we need. It is more efficient to synthesise them by making chemically identical compounds. And putting those concentrated compounds into pills and liquids. More efficiently deliverable. And more profitable.  But never lose sight of the fact that these are naturally occurring compounds, sophisticated processing owes its efficacy to the natural world, to the wisdom of hedge witchery acquired and transferred over generations of curious exploration and resting.

Unnatural is just a matter of process. Sticking close to the source form doesn't mean it doesn't work, it just works differently.

Not only a market driven issue but more so one of ownership. Far easier to patent a synthetic process than a natural substance. As in many situations it's usually a case of following the $$$.