Natural health products are naturally-occurring substances that can be used to maintain or restore health. They can be vitamins, minerals, herbs or other plants, amino acids (the individual building blocks of protein), or parts of these substances. They can come in many forms such as pill, capsule, tablet, or liquid form. They supplement (add to) the diet and should not be considered a substitute for food.

Natural health products are widely available in Canada in health food stores, grocery stores, pharmacies, on the Internet, and by mail. People commonly take them for health-related reasons. Common natural health products include vitamins and minerals (such as vitamin C or a multivitamin), 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).

Makers of natural health products cannot legally say that natural products can diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. But they can say that they contribute to health maintenance and well-being.

People have used the active ingredients in natural health products for thousands of years to help health and to treat illness. Sometimes those natural products are the basis for some of today's common medicines. For example, people have used willow bark tea for centuries to relieve fever. Pharmaceutical companies eventually identified the chemical in willow bark that relieved fever and used that knowledge to produce aspirin.

The Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate (NNHPD), within the Health Products and Food Branch of Health Canada, regulates natural health products in Canada. Natural health products must be reviewed and approved by the NNHPD before they can be sold legally in Canada.

What are natural health products used for?

• Historically, people have used herbal medicines to prevent illness, cure infection, relieve fever, and heal wounds. Herbal medicines can also treat constipation, ease pain, or act as relaxants or stimulants. Research on some herbs and plant products has shown that they may have some of the same effects that conventional medicines do, while others may have no effect or may be harmful.
• Researchers have studied some natural products and have found them to be useful. Omega-3 fatty acids, for example, may help lower triglyceride levels.

Researchers have found that some natural health products do not help prevent or treat certain health problems. For example, beta-carotene and vitamin E do not lower risk of heart disease or heart attack.

Kindly submit your article at http://www.imedpub.com/submissions/herbal-medicine-open-access.html

Media Contact:

Jennifer Leo
Managing Editor
Herbal Medicine: Open Access Journal
Email: herbalmed@echemistry.org
Whatsapp: +3225889658