Dietary supplements are vitamins, herbs and minerals. Some herbs and supplements have shown to have major health benefits, such as taking folic acid while pregnant to avoid certain birth defects. But not all dietary supplements have been tested as carefully as drugs, so it’s important to understand the safety and effectiveness of dietary supplements before you take them.
- Dietary Supplements (MedlinePlus)
- Herbs and Supplements (MedlinePlus)
- Herbal Medicine (MedlinePlus)
- About Herbs (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)
- Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center)
- Dietary Supplement Fact Sheets (Office of Dietary Supplements/National Institutes of Health)
- Dietary Supplements: What You Need to Know (National Institutes of Health)
- Herbal Products and Supplements (Familydoctor.org)
- Dietary Supplements (Federal Trade Commission Consumer Information)
- Herbs at a Glance (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
- National Council Against Health Fraud
- Choosing & Using Dietary Supplements Wisely (American Cancer Society)
- Are You Considering a Complementary Health Approach? (NCCIH)
- Evaluating Supplements (ConsumerLab.com)
- Five Questions To Ask When Considering Health Supplements (PBS Frontline)
Mobile apps and tools can provide you with easy-to-use information and resources that can serve as one part of your overall strategy to become and stay healthy. Tips on selecting additional apps for exercise and physical activity.
This app provides comprehensive, objective information about herbs, botanicals, supplements, complementary therapies, and more from experts. Free. iOS, mobile website.
This app provides information about the safety and effectiveness of herbal products on more than 50 popular herbs. It also alerts you to facts about herb safety, side effects, and potential herb-drug interactions. IOS and GooglePlay.
Resources selected by Beth Moreton, Health Sciences Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
Last reviewed January 23, 2024