Top Botanicals, Latest Research

The relationship between research and sales is symbiotic, as the increase in positive study results boosted herbal sales, which then drove new efforts of scientific investigation. The end result is a stream of discoveries that promise to change health in real ways. This Digital Issue explores recent research results for top-selling herbal ingredients, such as cranberry, saw palmetto, ginkgo and curcumin, with additional features on the ever-growing botanical market and new botanical drug business opportunities. Takeaways include: *Promising research is emerging for cranberry, saw palmetto, flaxseed, ginkgo, ginseng, curcumin and garlic. *In 2013, botanicals achieved their biggest year of growth since the late 1990s with retail sales exceeding $6 billion. *About 25 percent of the prescription drugs sold contain active ingredients derived from plants.