Natural supplements combine the art and science of healing using vitamins, minerals, and herbal medicine or phytomedicine.

This use of herbs, supplements and plants for the purpose of mitigation and cure of human ailments defines holistic medicine. Recorded history reveals that plants have been used for medicinal purposes by humans long before man’s first records. Natural supplements and phytomedicines integrates conventional and alternative therapies to prevent, treat disease, and addresses the whole person, including body, mind, and spirit. This practice of holistic medicine has promoted optimal health throughout civilization surpassing all modern “big pharma” efforts.

Alternative Medicine is a term for practices and medical products that are not part of standard care. Alternative Medicine includes practices such as natural supplements, homeopathy, traditional medicine, chiropractic, and acupuncture. Alternative medicine has been described as any practice that aims to achieve the healing effects of medicine, but which lacks scientific testing to substantiate the claims. Alternative medicine does not include evidence of either effect or of no effect. Natural supplements, in comparison to those options offered by “big pharma” are sometimes claimed to be quackery. Even though Alternative medicine is taught in more than half of US medical schools, it is defined loosely as a set of products, practices, and theories that are believed or perceived by their users to have the healing effects.

Some practitioners use substances found in nature such as herbs, foods, vitamins, animal, fungal products, and minerals in traditional medical and veterinarian practices. Some non-vitamin supplements such as essential oils, fish oils, seed oils may not fit the standard description of supplements, but they have found their way from home remedy status to health professional status.

Herbal medicine not only uses herbs, and plant products from leaves, bark and roots, but may also include the use of mineral and animal products. Herbal medicine is among the most commercially successful branches of natural supplements, and includes tablets, powders and elixirs that are sold as “nutritional supplements” worldwide. There is little regulation as to standards and safety of their contents. Traditional Chinese medicine has the largest and oldest, continual record of natural supplement use.

Until as recent as 1975, the American Medical Association, played the main role in fighting the use of Natural supplements. The AMA labeled natural supplements as quackery in the United States, enabling the USDA and FDA to monitor and punish practitioners until they abolished its quackery committee.

By 1999 five prestigious American medical journals recognized that the medical profession had changed so drastically as to relax the medical licensing, the development of managed care, rising consumerism, and established the USA Office of Alternative Medicine.

A host of new descriptions came from the new age health movement. Almost overnight the organic food movement took the world by storm. Vegetarian, vegan and Non-Gmo qualified foods took labeled shelf space as a priority for Physical Wellbeing.

Home remedies were relabeled as Herbal remedies. The herbs are given for the healing of man, is now heard internationally.

The evolution of health treatment eventually made the circular path of an orbital tangent. Herbal remedies, home remedies and common sense all resided in the origin of the belief of the user.

Science and Nutrition pointed back to Diet and Dietary habits as the foundation for a healthy body, mind and spirit. Nutritionist write continually of the diet that includes toxins that pollute the body found in foods and packaging. Specific diets are recommended to avoid obesity and diseases such as diabetes.

Naturopathic Medicine came to United States from Germany in the 1800s. This system helps the body heal itself using natural remedies, acupuncture, nutritional counseling, exercise, herbs and massage.

Natural supplements definition would not be complete without the inclusion of remedies for human maladies using colloidal minerals and essential oils.

Two time Nobel prize winner, Linus Pauling, made the world acutely aware of vitamins and minerals that are Essential Nutrients for healthy mental health, heart health and a digestive system that can fend off disease and sickness, stating “all disease starts in the digestive system.”

Due to mineral deficiency in the soil, due to erosion, the crops we grow today are devoid of critical minerals that were available 100 years ago. Natural supplements fulfill these deficiencies. “…the human body requires at least 60 minerals in order to maintain a disease and ailment free state.” -Gary Price Todd, M.D.

Mineral deficiency is taught in veterinary schools as the cause for disability and disease in animals. The supplication of minerals in

these cases result in cures and return of good health. A mineral deficiency can cause organ failure or immune system failure. Some infections and diseases can be treated with minerals such as colloidal silver which has been medically proven to kill over 650 disease-causing organisms in the body.

The ancient use of essential oils in medical treatment has been recorded in the Bible, Chinese medicine and Egyptian tombs. Essential oils were used as a natural supplement for external wounds, skin conditioning, message and anointing.

Three thousand years ago Chinese and Indian use of these oils for medicine to treat disease. The Greeks became profound physicians of essential oils and wound care to fight infection.

Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, declared the use of essential oils in “a scented massage was the path towards good health and well-being”.

Essential oils used in this manner generated a whole new genre of natural supplements called aromatherapy. Aromatherapy uses aromatic essential oils medicinally to improve psychological or physical well-being. Aromatherapy is sometimes called essential oil therapy for reducing stress, respiratory disinfection, decongestant, and psychological benefits. Aromatherapy today is used worldwide through inhalation or as a topical application.
In 2005 the archaeological discovery of a clay alembic still that is approximately 4,000 years old in Cypress documented the distillation of rosemary, lavender and other botanical oils.