Expert Column - Assessing the Quality of Botanical Preparations
Expert Column - Assessing the Quality of Botanical Preparations
The passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA) stimulated 5 years of unprecedented growth of the herbal and nutritional supplement industry. Although there is evidence that this growth is slowing down, the US public is using increasing numbers of herbal and nutritional products in conjunction with or as replacements for conventional medicine. As front-line providers of health information, physicians and pharmacists are barraged with questions about the safety and efficacy of these substances. Of primary concern is the quality and reliability of the products available in the marketplace today. This article reviews the major issues related to product quality and standardization of botanical preparations. In the absence of definitive guidelines, we present an outline of issues for healthcare professionals to consider when making recommendations regarding botanical products.
The passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA) stimulated 5 years of unprecedented growth of the herbal and nutritional supplement industry. Although there is evidence that this growth is slowing down, the US public is using increasing numbers of herbal and nutritional products in conjunction with or as replacements for conventional medicine. As front-line providers of health information, physicians and pharmacists are barraged with questions about the safety and efficacy of these substances. Of primary concern is the quality and reliability of the products available in the marketplace today. This article reviews the major issues related to product quality and standardization of botanical preparations. In the absence of definitive guidelines, we present an outline of issues for healthcare professionals to consider when making recommendations regarding botanical products.
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