Dietary supplements are estimated to be used regularly by almost 60% of the American population, and over 300 million people worldwide. An important and ever-growing portion of this market is in botanical supplements that are derived from natural plants. Natural, however, does not necessarily mean safe, and although plants can provide health-essential and health-improving nutrients they can also provide toxic compounds. While the use and sales of botanical supplements continues to expand rapidly, scientific understanding of the efficacy and safety of these products remains limited.
The aim...