Herbs botanical products

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Information Resource About Herbs, Botanicals, and Other Products, Available at www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/11570.cfm... 

We realize that the terms herbs, herbal products, botanical products, and dietary supplements are often used interchangeably in the literature... 

Bauer, R. 2000. Chemistry, pharmacology, clinical applications of Echinacea products. In Herbs, Botanicals and Teas as Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals (G. Mazza and B.D. Oomah, eds), pp. 45—73. Technomic Publishing, Inc., Lancaster, PA. 

FDA warns consumers to discontinue use of botanical products that contain aristolochic acid , FDA [website] (ii Apr. 2001) (http //vm.cfsan.fda.gov/ -dms/addsbot.html) J. Kelly, Chinese herb leads to kidney failure, cancer , WebMD Medical News Archive [website] (7 June 2000) (http //my.webmd. com / content / article /36 /172.8 582.70)... 

The DSHEA was a bipartisan bill cosponsored by Orrin Hatch of Utah and Tom Harkin of Iowa. First, it broadened the definition of a dietary supplement to include any product designed to supplement the diet that contained one or more of the following a vitamin, mineral, herb, botanical, amino acid, or any metabolic constituent or extract thereof. To be removed from the market, supplements must be proven unsafe by the FDA. This is in contrast to drugs, where the burden of proof (both safety and efficacy) is on the manufacturer. Supplements must contain the labeling Not evaluated... 

Typical products in this group include pharmaceuticals, food additives, reagent chemicals, and medicinal products isolated from botanical products and herbs. Examples include such varied products as aspirin, tartaric acid, citric acid. 

Thanks to the modern herbal movement, many botanical products are again gaining popularity. This time it is the consumer who is making decisions about which herbs, and in which dosage forms, they will use. Many of these consumers are seeking information on the proper use and expected consequences of herbal use, and will turn to the pharmacist for this information. 

The most recent group of botanical products that have seen some commercial success as insecticides are the plant essential oils. Though some of these have traditional uses dating back decades, if not longer, commercialization has only taken place in the past 7-8 years. Plants producing essential oils that have been exploited for insect control include a number of herbs, most notably from the mint family (Lamiaceae), such as garden thyme Thymus vulgaris L.), rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis), and various species of mint Mentha spp.). ... 

Moreover, a complete characterization of all the chemical constituents from a natural product is often unknown. Unlike pharmaceuticals, botanical products are complex mixtures in which the active ingredients may be unknown or only partially characterized. For several herbal products, the active ingredient or the quantity necessary for effectiveness has not been determined. For example, some manufacturers standardize St. John s wort according to its hypericin content, which is only 1-10 identified active components in this herb. Additionally, the chanical makeup of a natural product may vary depending on the part of the plant processed (stems, leaves, roots, etc.), seasonality, and growing conditions. ... 

Although most botanical products are probably safe under most conditions, some are known to be toxic at high doses and others may have potentially adverse effects under some conditions. Many dangerous and lethal side effects have been reported from the use of herbal products. These side effects may occur through several different mechanisms, including direct toxic effects of the herb, effects of contaminants, and interactions with drugs or other herbs. 

The term supplement has various regulatory meanings in various jurisdictions. The U.S. FDA, acting under the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, defines a supplement as a product for supplementing the diet, and that can consist of vitamins, minerals, herbs, botanicals, or amino acids. Other countries define the term within the drugs category. Various classes of supplements for the U.S. diet are subject to U.S. FDA control actions. These include vitamins and energy supplements. 

The Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals book series, launched in 1998, was developed to provide a timely and comprehensive treatment of the emerging science and technology of functional foods and nutraceuticals, which are shown to play a role in preventing or delaying the onset of diseases, especially chronic diseases. The first ten volumes in the series. Functional Foods Biochemical and Processing Aspects. Volumes 1 and 2 Herbs Botanicals and Teas, Handbook of Fermented Functional Foods Methods of Analysis for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals Handbook of Fermented Functional Foods Handbook of Functional Dairy Products Handbook of Functional Lipids Dictionary of Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals Processing Technologies for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals, and Functional Food Carbohydrates, have received broad acceptance by food, nutrition, and health professionals. 

Recommend products that contain the following on their label scientific name of the botanical, quantity of the herb, name and address of the actual manufacturer, a batch or lot number, date of manufacture, and expiration date. When available, products that are standardized to the active ingredient(s) should be recommended. A common rule of a one-year expiration date on dietary supplements generally applies [5]. 

Dietary supplements are products taken by mouth that contain an ingredient intended to supplement the diet, such as vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, and substances such as enzymes, organ tissues, and metabolites. Dietary supplements come in many forms, including extracts, concentrates, tablets, capsules, gel caps, liquids, and powders. They have special requirements for labeling. In the U.S., the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 states that dietary supplements are considered foods, not drugs. (Note that some dietary supplements are used in conventional medicine for example, folic acid... 

Yuan M, Hong Y. Heterogeneity of Chinese medical herbs in Singapore assessed by fluorescence AFLP analysis. Am J Chin Med 2003 31(5) 773-779. Wu K-M, Farrelly J, Birnkrant D, et al. Regulatory toxicology perspectives on the development of botanical drug products in the United States. Am J Ther 2004 11(3) 213-217. 

The antioxidant activity of rosemary and sage (leaves and extracts) were most effectively investigated [96,97], Traditional extracts of spices and herbs are obtained by steam distillation (essential oil) or by extracting the botanical with solvents such as alcohol, hexane, or acetone, and removing the solvents by evaporation. The SFE process for production of the inherent natural antioxidants is now the most gentle and effective method [70],... 

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