What's In the Bottle? Safe Use of Dietary/Herbal Supplements

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Have you ever wondered what’s in your dietary or herbal supplement? Analyses of dietary supplements sometimes find differences between labeled and actual ingredients. For example:

  • An herbal supplement may not contain the correct plant species.
  • The amounts of the ingredients may be lower or higher than the label states. That means you may be taking less—or more—of the dietary supplement than you realize.
  • The supplement may be contaminated with other herbs, pesticides, or metals, or even adulterated with unlabeled, illegal ingredients such as prescription drugs.

For current information on the safety of some dietary supplements, check the “Alerts and Advisories” section of the NCCIH Web site. And be sure to read our fact sheet on Using Dietary Supplements Wisely at http://1.usa.gov/1Wc26J4.