Book excerpt: Dietary supplements are estimated to be used regularly by almost 60% of the American population, and over 300 million people worldwide. An important and ever-growing portion of this market is in botanical supplements that are derived from natural plants. Natural, however, does not necessarily mean safe, and although plants can provide health-essential and health-improving nutrients they can also provide toxic compounds. While the use and sales of botanical supplements continues to expand rapidly, scientific understanding of the efficacy and safety of these products remains limited. The aim of Dietary Supplements of Plant Origin is to give both the general and specialized reader a comprehensive insight into the most recent findings in this interesting area of dietary supplementation. It is hoped that this book will shed a new light on this topic and impact positively upon the health of people in this new millennium.