Trends in use, pharmacology, and clinical applications of emerging herbal nutraceuticals

Abstract

The nutraceuticals market is vast, encompassing many different products with inconsistent levels of evidence available to support their use. This overview represents a Western perspective of the nutraceuticals market, with a brief comparison with that in China, as an illustration of how individual health supplements increase and decrease in popularity in regional terms. Recent changes in sales patterns, mainly taken from the US market, are summarized and a selection of five newer products, which have not been subject to extensive recent review are profiled: astaxanthin, a carotenoid found in red algae, seafood, salmon and trout, as an antioxidant; cannabidiol, a non‐euphoric marijuana ingredient used as mood enhancer and for painful/inflammatory conditions; modified extracts of ginseng used in new indications including dementia and space travel; monk fruit, a non‐sugar high intensity sweetener and nigella seed, a popular food ingredient and Asian medicine, which has experienced an extraordinary rise in sales recently. Linked Articles This article is part of a themed section on The Pharmacology of Nutraceuticals. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v177.6/issuetoc

Effect of fenugreek consumption on serum lipid profile: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…Therefore, many available products might be ineffective. Meta‐analysis and systematic review studies can be very useful on these kinds of topics in that they help with a comprehensive conclusion that can give the ultimate idea of whether or not to use a specific nutraceutical as effective medicinal agent (Williamson, Liu, & Izzo, 2020).…”

The influence of green coffee bean extract supplementation on blood glucose levels: A systematic review and dose–response meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials

“…The analyses enabled a larger number of trials and individuals to be included for meta-analyses, however, could possibly impact mechanism of effectiveness and action, and thus warrants further investigation. Furthermore, due to lack of rigorous regulation, there is a distinct need for the manufacturers of GCE products to prove efficacy, safety, and quality of a marketed product, particularly given such concerns are less strongly enforced than in the pharmaceutical sector (Williamson, Liu, & Izzo, 2019)., which may have influenced the emergence of significant heterogeneity among included studies. Moreover, many available products might be ineffective, and thus require more detailed examination (Williamson et al, 2019).…”

Protective Effect of Astaxanthin on Ochratoxin A-Induced Kidney Injury to Mice by Regulating Oxidative Stress-Related NRF2/KEAP1 Pathway

“…In addition, ASX protects the skin from UVA light-induced oxidation [27]. These biological activities endow ASX with high economic value as a premium health care product, pharmaceutical, and feed additive [28,29].Many studies have shown that after OTA enters the body, it causes damage to multiple tissues such as the kidney [30], liver [31], spleen [32], intestine [33], lung [34], and brain [35]. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate whether ASX could protect kidney tissue from OTA-induced oxidative stress through the NRF2 pathway and to determine the protective effect of ASX on OTA toxicity in C57BL/J mice treated with OTA.…”

“…In addition, ASX protects the skin from UVA light-induced oxidation [27]. These biological activities endow ASX with high economic value as a premium health care product, pharmaceutical, and feed additive [28,29].…”