TESTING INGREDIENTS WITH PRECLINICAL STUDIES

Conventional drag development normally follows an orderly process of preclinical studies using animals and cell cultures as well as phase I, phase II, and phase III studies, with the latter phase consisting of human clinical trials using large numbers of subjects. This orderly procedure does not usually lead to the development of complementary and alternative therapies, which traditionally and historically are based on anecdotal reports and word of mouth. Furthermore, there is usually little isolation of active ingredients from crude products. Little, if any, preclinical testing is conducted in the development of complementary and alternative therapies, and double-blind clinical studies are rarely involved. 

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