ABSTRACT
According to the 1994 US Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), a nutritional supplement is defined as a product (other than tobacco) intended to supplement the diet, which contains one or more dietary ingredients (vitamins, minerals, herbal supplements, or amino acids) and is intended to be taken orally as a pill, tablet, capsule, or liquid [1]. In 1989, Dr. Stephen DeFelice coined the term nutraceutical from the words nutrition and pharmaceutical. Nutraceutical is defined as a food (or part of a food) that provides medical or health benefits, including the prevention and/or treatment of a disease [2] (Table 2.1). Select Herbal Supplements and Their Plant Names
Herbal Supplement
Plant Name
Ginger
Zingiber officinale
Turkey tail mushroom
Coriolus versicolor
Maitake mushroom
Grifola frondosa
Turmeric
Curcuma longa
Garlic
Allium sativum
Ginseng
Korean ginseng: Panax ginseng
American ginseng: Panax quinquefolius
South China ginseng: Panax notoginseng
Green tea
Camellia sinensis
Bromelain (extract)
Ananas comosus
Licorice
Glycyrrhiza sp.
Red clover
Trifolium pratense
Milk thistle
Silybum marianum
