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Dietary supplements are a booming business to retailers, with over a thousand new supplements being introduced yearly. Half of the adult American population uses dietary supplements for a variety of reasons which include using herbal supplements to improve health or to lose weight. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has only a few requirements when it comes to the marketing of dietary supplements.

Dietary Supplements Defined

Dietary Supplements are designed to “supplement” an individual’s diet and should contain only “dietary ingredients” such as herbs, vitamins, minerals and amino acids. The FDA then classifies them as food and not as a drug. Like most foods, the supplements are not tested for safety or effectiveness. As a result the USFDA expects the manufacturers not to make any drug claims when marketing them. These claims should not include the supplement's ability to treat, diagnose, prevent or cure diseases. Dietary supplements are sometimes concoctions of plant extracts that can have impurities and contaminants causing severe side effects (US FDA/CFSAN “Dietary Supplements: Warning and Safety Information,” USFDA Retrieved May 6, 2009).