LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Prince Charles, a staunch campaigner for natural remedies and organic farming, urged the UK government on Tuesday to provide more alternative and complementary medicine through the public health service.

The prince, writing in the Daily Mail newspaper after launching an initiative to promote the inclusion of complementary medicine on the National Health Service (NHS), said millions of Britons were interested in seeking alternative therapies but could not afford to pay for private treatment.

"Rather than choosing either complementary and alternative therapies or orthodox medicine, people want to integrate both," the prince said. "Tragically, that is not always possible. Most consultations with therapists are private and...beyond the pocket of many patients."

The heir to the throne is promoting his message with a show garden entry in the Chelsea Flower Show, which is under way in London this week.

His entry, "The Healing Garden," includes 125 species of trees, shrubs and flowers that all have a therapeutic use.

The prince said research showed Britons spent £126 million a year on herbal medicines. And almost 10% of people said they visited a complementary therapy practitioner last year.

"That's 22 million visits, 8 million more than the number to hospital accident and emergency departments," he said.

The prince said advances in the 20th century had resulted in traditional wisdom in areas such as medicine, agriculture, education and architecture being thrown away.

"Orthodox medicine is of course truly life-saving, but we must also recognise the gifts of other healthcare traditions in offering all possible expertise, knowledge and skills to everyone," he said.

The prince's entry at Chelsea coincides with the launch of the Integrated Healthcare Initiative, a scheme backed by the prince in conjunction with healthcare bodies to promote the inclusion of alternative therapies on the NHS.

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