ABSTRACT
The explosive growth in the dietary supplement industry that has taken place recently has been fueled by three factors: (1) The large demographic segment of the population known as the baby boomers are increasingly turning toward alternative therapies and natural remedies, particularly botanicals, for health maintenance, disease prevention, and to slow or alleviate the debilitative effects of aging. This widespread change in attitude can be partially attributed to an increasing consumer disenchantment with managed health care and a common perception that conventional medicine is afflicted with an overreliance on synthetic pharmaceutical drugs with (real or imagined) adverse side effects. (2) Coverage of alternative therapies by the media has increased, including widespread information (as well as misinformation and disinformation) on the healing properties of botanical and other supplements. (3) The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) was passed in 1994, in response to an overwhelming grassroots lobbying effort directed at Congress. DSHEA has resulted in a fundamental restructuring of the regulatory environment with respect to the manner in which supplements and alternative remedies, including botanicals, can be manufactured, sold, and promoted.
