Artichokes were greatly valued by the ancient Greeks (fourth century B.C.) for treating digestive disorders. Clinical studies have been conducted on aqueous extracts of the leaves. The extracts characteristically contain caffeoylquinic acid...

Standardization is probably one of the most controversial terms used to describe herbal supplements. Most would agree that the goal of standardizing herbal products is to provide product consistency and thus a reliable health benefit. However,...

As demonstrated, therapeutic effect is a result of the following variables: botanical identity, chemical profile, formulation, bioavailability, and dose. Therefore, characterization of botanical products, in publications and scientific studies,...

Herbs are sold in many forms, as fresh plant material in the produce department of a grocery store, and as dried plant material in bulk, tea bags, capsules, or tablets. Fresh or dried plant material can be prepared as extracts, either sold in liquid...

The primary way to identify plant material is through physical examination of the features of the entire plant, especially the flowers. Those features are compared to descriptions in plant taxonomy books and/or to specimens whose identity has...