About Herbal, Botanical, Phytomedicines Natural Dietary Supplements
A botanical is a plant or plant part valued for its medicinal or therapeutic properties, flavor and/or scent. Herbs are a subset of botanicals.
Products made from botanicals that are used to maintain or improve health may be labeled herbal, botanical or phytomedicines.
To be classified as a natural dietary supplement, a botanical must:
- supplement the diet
- contain one or more dietary ingredients
- labeled on the front panel as being a dietary supplement
- is intended to be taken by mouth as a pill, capsule, tablet, or liquid
A label that reads “natural” doesn’t mean safe and good for your health. The safety of a herbal, botanical or phytomedicine dietary supplement depends on many things, such as:
- dose used
- chemical makeup
- how it is prepared
- how it works in the body
Additionally, it is difficult to determine the quality of a herbal dietary supplement product from its label. The degree of quality control depends on the manufacturer, the supplier and others in the production process.
Like drugs, herbal, botanical or phytomedicine preparations have chemical and biological activity. As such, they may have side effects, or interact with certain medications that can cause problems.
Might even be dangerous to your natural health.
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