Edited by
Timothy S. Tracy
Richard L. Kingston

2007

Toxicology and Clinical Pharmacology

Herbalists and laypersons have used herbs for centuries. Interest in and use of herbal products was revitalized in the late 1990s with the passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, which allowed dietary supplements to be marketed without enduring the FDA-approval process required of drugs. Thus, despite the widespread use of herbal products, information about their safety and efficacy is generally sparse compared with the information available about prescription drugs.