Botanical extracts are active ingredients of plants (flowers, leaves, seeds, stems, roots, etc.) that are used for medicinal purposes to prevent illness and promote healing. (1) Their use can be traced back to thousands of years in every culture of the world. (2) Today the well-known ones are Ayurveda Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine. The central idea behind all of them being to help restore the body to its balanced optimal health state instead of fixing the symptoms of the underlying dysfunctions. Worldwide interest has been growing with people taking care of their health with a natural holistic perspective with herbal remedies and lifestyle modifications. (3) (4)

Extracts are one of the easiest ways to enjoy the health benefits of botanicals. Extracts represent naturally occurring phytonutrients that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can help overcome dysfunctions in the body. (5) Phytonutrients are chemicals produced by plants for keeping them healthy, protecting them from insects and environmental toxins. There are thousands of phytonutrients found in plants, the most common ones being carotenoids, ellagic acid, flavonoids, glucosinolates, resveratrol, and phytoestrogens. They are available in vegetables and fruits. However, with the hectic modern lifestyle when that is not feasible, their benefits can be supplemented along with whole plant foods. These botanical ingredients are rich antioxidants and anti-inflammatory substances which quench free radicals, reactive oxygen species, and modulate cytokines signaling and DNA protection. (6) (7) (8)

Back to Beginnings®, botanical extracts are the fusion of God’s gifts of nature and modern scientific research. Our botanicals feature standardized extracts that support the body’s biochemical processes to encourage optimal health. Every lot is tested and subject to numerous purity and potency assays to ensure that the product meets potency claims and exceeds industry-defined purity standards.

Before buying, always examine the labels to determine if the product is just the dried powder of the botanical, or it is the extract of the active phytonutrients. Often the active phytonutrient extracts are necessary for therapeutic effects. Be aware of the amount of content in each capsule. Decide your purchase on the above factors before wasting your money on cheap products.

References

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92773/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3358962/
3. https://web.archive.org/web/20080727053337/https:/www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs134/en/
4. https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/86/8/07-042820/en/
5. https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6320/5/3/76/htm
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5435602/
7. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/8/3/33/htm
8. https://www.phcogfirst.com/sites/default/files/1-17..pdf