Abstract
In recent decades, the interest in products containing botanicals and claiming “functional” properties has increased exponentially. Functional foods, novel foods and food supplements have a special impact on the consumers, who show significant expectation for their well-being. Food supplements with botanical ingredients are the food area that has witnessed the greatest development, in terms of the number of available products, budget, and consumer acceptability. This review refers to and discusses some open points, such as: (1) the definitions and regulation of products containing botanicals; (2) the difficulty in obtaining nutritional and functional claims (botanical ingredients obtaining claims in the EU are listed and summarized); (3) the safety aspects of these products; and (4) the poor harmonization between international legislations. The availability of these “new” products can positively influence the well-being of the population, but it is essential to provide the consumers with the necessary recommendations to guide them in their purchase and use.
Highlights
The sentence “Let thy food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”, commonly attributed to Hippocrates (400 BC), indicates the importance that nutrition has always had in the concept of health and prevention of disease
A similar definition is reported by a group of food and beverage producers: “botanicals plants, plant parts or plants’ isolated or collective chemical components, extracted in water, ethanol, are fresh or dried plants, plant parts or plants’ isolated or collective chemical components, extracted or other organic solvents, plus essential oils, oleoresins, and other extractives used for flavoring, in water, ethanol, or other organic solvents, plus essential oils, oleoresins, and other extractives used fragrance, functional health benefits, medicine, or other uses” [3]
Botanicals can be ingredients of products belonging to the category of medical devices; among others: (1) ophthalmic solutions containing chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.), calendula (Calendula officinalis L.), cornflower (Centaurea cyanus L.), etc.; (2) some liquids used in contact lens care, which include arabinogalactans and plant extracts; (3) some solutions used for oral hygiene containing mainly chamomile, aloe (Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f.) and marshmallow (Althaea officinalis L.)
Summary
The sentence “Let thy food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”, commonly attributed to Hippocrates (400 BC), indicates the importance that nutrition has always had in the concept of health and prevention of disease. This relationship has obviously undergone changes and historical recurrences with an evolution parallel to that of human civilization with its variable habits in social behavior and diet. Considering the use of plants for their healing properties, archaeological excavations place their use up to 60,000 years ago These were plants not commonly consumed as food: poppy (opium), ephedra and cannabis.
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