For the consumer, quality of a product means suitability for
use, reliability, efficacy, and above all its safety. Elements that
may affect the safety of plant food supplements (PFS) are:
– the presence of toxic compounds;
– the presence of pharmacologically active substances;
– the presence of addictive or psychotropic substances;
– adverse reactions to, and drug interactions with, otherwise
non toxic substances;
– genetic variants among the plant species;
– differences in processing and manufacturing conditions.
Some other problems are addressed in this section:
– misidentification of the initial plant source;
– adulteration with other plants;
– environmental contamination (e.g., with heavy metals and
pesticide or herbicide residues);
– biological contamination (mycotoxins, micro-organisms);
– the addition of illegal substances.