Table 3.
Specific types of herb and supplement use among the US adult population in 2007 and 2012.
| Herb and supplement use | 2007 | 2012 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Est. N | %a | Est. N | %a | |
| Taken herbal preparations and dietary supplements, past 30 days (2007, 2012) | 28,059,181 | 100.0% | 30,113,788 | 100.0% |
|
| ||||
| Acai pills or gelcaps | na | na | 1,169,912 | 3.9% |
| Androstenedione | 57,402 | 0.2% | na | na |
| Bee pollen or royal jelly | na | na | 1,054,869 | 3.5% |
| Black cohosh | 827,675 | 2.9% | na | na |
| Bladder wrack/kelp | na | na | 1,169,912 | 3.9% |
| Carnitine | 404,001 | 1.4% | na | na |
| Chasteberry | 127,391 | 0.5% | na | na |
| Chondroitin | 3,389,911 | 12.1% | 2,815,929 | 9.4% |
| Coenzyme Q-10 | 2,691,440 | 9.6% | 3,264,650 | 10.8% |
| Comfrey | 164,047 | 0.6% | na | na |
| Conjugated linolenic acid (CLA) | 334,340 | 1.2% | na | na |
| Cranberry (pills, gelcaps) | 1,560,383 | 5.6% | 1,934,165 | 6.4% |
| Creatine | 843,385 | 3.0% | na | na |
| DHEA | 645,179 | 2.3% | na | na |
| Digestive enzymes (lactaid) | na | na | 1,639,041 | 5.4% |
| Dong quai/don gui tong kuei | na | na | na | na |
| Echinacea | 4,848,163 | 17.3% | 2,261,040 | 7.5% |
| Ephedra (Ma huang) | 314,161 | 1.1% | na | na |
| Evening primrose | 555,303 | 2.0% | na | na |
| Feverfew | 146,723 | 0.5% | na | na |
| Fiber or psyllium (pills or powder) | 1,791,164 | 6.4% | na | na |
| Fish oil/omega 3/DHA | 10,922,801 | 38.9% | 18,848,204 | 62.6% |
| Flaxseed oil or pills | 4,416,216 | 15.7% | na | na |
| Garlic supplements (pills, gelcaps) | 3,278,373 | 11.7% | 1,926,964 | 6.4% |
| Ginger pills/gelcaps | 847,658 | 3.0% | na | na |
| Ginkgobiloba | 2,977,104 | 10.6% | 1,619,090 | 5.4% |
| Ginseng | 3,345,357 | 11.9% | 1,751,717 | 5.8% |
| Glucosamine | 6,132,094 | 21.9% | 5,521,173 | 18.3% |
| Goldenseal | 825,015 | 2.9% | na | na |
| Guarana | 498,254 | 1.8% | na | na |
| Grape seed extract | 1,214,475 | 4.3% | na | na |
| Green tea pills (not brewed tea) | 1,527,759 | 5.4% | na | na |
| EGCG (pills) | 97,369 | 0.3% | na | na |
| Green tea pills or EGCG pill | na | na | 1,502,627 | 5.0% |
| Hawthorn | 307,645 | 1.1% | na | na |
| Horny goat weed | 136,747 | 0.5% | na | na |
| Kava kava | 356,802 | 1.3% | na | na |
| Lecithin | 903,188 | 3.2% | na | na |
| Lutein | 1,046,629 | 3.7% | na | na |
| Lycopene | 821,468 | 2.9% | na | na |
| Melatonin | 1,295,762 | 4.6% | 3,065,428 | 10.2% |
| MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) | 1,311,824 | 4.7% | 1,050,502 | 3.5% |
| Milk thistle | 1,000,750 | 3.6% | 987,957 | 3.3% |
| Prebiotics or probiotics | 865,092 | 3.1% | 3,857,228 | 12.8% |
| SAM-e | 212,233 | 0.8% | 414,563 | 1.4% |
| Saw palmetto | 1,681,668 | 6.0% | 988,070 | 3.3% |
| Senna | 185,671 | 0.7% | na | na |
| Soy supplements/isoflavones | 1,362,529 | 4.9% | na | na |
| St. John's Wort | 933,060 | 3.3% | na | na |
| Valerian | 877,107 | 3.1% | 800,946 | 2.7% |
Data source: National Center for Health Statistics 2007 and 2012 NHIS Adult Complementary and Alternative Medicine File [21, 22].
aWeighted estimates of column percentage in taken herb and supplement in past 30 days.
na: the names of the herbal preparations and dietary supplements were not listed in the survey questionnaire.