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conventional drugs
- specific active ingredient is purified from a plant or fungus or synthesized in a laboratory and concentrated into pill, capsule or injectable form
- have been tested in clinical trials and shown to be safe and effective
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herbal supplements
- plants, algae, fungi and combinations of these are used as a tea, extract, or ground into powder and sold in capsule form
- contain complex mixtures of different unpurified plant molecules
- contain several compounds
- don't have to be tested in clinical trials
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describe the lack of consistency in herbal supplements
- many are contaminated with dangerous heavy metals or bacteria
- amount of active ingredient commonly varies from pill to pill and bottle to bottle
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FDA and herbal supplements
- companies can apply to FDA to market the supplement almost like a pharmaceutical drug
- requires clinical trial data
- requires proven consistency in quality and quantity from batch to batch
- this process is not mandatory
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