They are available in many forms, including tea bags, capsules, tablets, liquids and powders. Examples of common herbal health products and supplements include black cohosh, echinacea, garlic, ginkgo, saw palmetto and St. John's Wort. Herbal supplements, sometimes called botanicals, are a type of dietary supplement that contains one or more herbs.
Multivitamins, vitamin D, echinacea and fish oil are among the many dietary supplements found on store shelves or available online. Maybe you're already taking a supplement or thinking about using one. Dietary supplements can be beneficial to health, but they can also pose health risks. Therefore, it's important to talk to a health professional to help you decide if a supplement is right for you.
Dietary supplements are widely available in the United States in health food stores, grocery stores, pharmacies, the Internet and by mail. People often take them for health-related reasons. The most common dietary supplements include vitamins and minerals (such as vitamin C or a multivitamin complex), botanicals (herbs and plant products, such as St. John's Wort), and substances that come from a natural source (such as omega-3 fatty acids).
Always tell your doctor if you are using a dietary supplement or if you are thinking of combining a supplement with your standard medical treatment. If you experience an adverse effect while taking a dietary supplement, stop using it immediately, seek medical attention or advice, and report the adverse event to the FDA. It is not intended to replace the medical experience and advice of your healthcare provider (s). For a list of possible serious reactions to watch out for and to learn how to report an adverse event, see the FDA website, How to Report a Problem with Dietary Supplements.
Although the FDA doesn't approve dietary supplements, the agency has a role in regulating them. The Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) was amended in 1994 by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (often referred to as DSHEA), which defined the “dietary supplement” and established the authority of the FDA with respect to such products. Dietary supplement companies must report serious adverse events they receive from their dietary supplements to the FDA within 15 days. Know the Science includes a variety of materials, including interactive modules, quizzes and videos, as well as links to informational content from federal resources designed to help consumers understand health information.
The NCCIH and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) provide tools that help you understand the basic concepts and terminology of scientific research so that you can make well-informed decisions about your health. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn't regulate dietary supplements the same way it regulates medications. The amount of scientific evidence on dietary supplements varies widely; there is a lot of information about some and very little about others. People have used the active ingredients in dietary supplements for thousands of years to aid health and treat diseases.
In general, even if a product is labeled as a dietary supplement, a product intended to treat, prevent, cure, or alleviate the symptoms of a disease is a drug and is subject to all requirements applicable to medications.
