“Nutraceutical” is an umbrella term, often used interchangeably with “functional food”. Nutraceuticals are foods, food ingredients, or dietary supplements (DSs) with benefits beyond basic nutrition. They include functional and fortified foods, fiber products, herbs that are not primarily medicinal, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. Regulated differently in different countries, they have varying routes to approval and histories of use. In traditional medical systems, foods are often used medicinally, and medicinal herbs or vegetables are often used in foods. There is an overall lack of regulation globally. Often, there is conflicting evidence for claimed benefits of nutraceuticals, with a paucity of clinical trials. Sales of botanicals vary from annually depending on many factors. Some may have new reports of efficacy; for others, popularity has other roots. Sales data, lacking for many areas, are unreliable where available due to varying definitions and range of outlets.

Extracts from a 2018 report list 2017’s…