Botanicals

Red Yeast Rice

Red yeast rice is rice fermented with the mold Monascus purpureus. The fermentation produces a family of natural-product polyketides called monacolins, the most clinically relevant of which is monacolin K. Monacolin K is identical in chemical…

AHCC — Active Hexose Correlated Compound

AHCC is a fermented shiitake (Lentinula edodes) mycelia extract produced exclusively by Amino Up Co., a Sapporo-based supplement manufacturer. It is sold under multiple consumer brand labels but is the same underlying ingredient in every product…

Aloe Vera: A Practical Guide

Astragalus: A Practical Guide

Bacopa Monnieri: A Practical Guide

Bergamot Extract (BPF)

Bergamot polyphenolic fraction (BPF) is a standardized extract of the peel and juice of Citrus bergamia, the same fruit responsible for the flavor of Earl Grey tea. The bioactive content is dominated by flavonoid glycosides — neohesperidin,…

Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia): A Practical Guide

Boswellia: A Practical Guide

Cinnamon: A Practical Guide

Eleuthero (Siberian Ginseng): A Practical Guide

Fenugreek: A Practical Guide

Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica): A Practical Guide

Gymnema Sylvestre: A Practical Guide

Hawthorn: A Practical Guide

Holy Basil (Tulsi): A Practical Guide

Maca (Lepidium meyenii): A Practical Guide

Nettle (Urtica dioica): A Practical Guide

Salidroside: Isolating the Bioactive of Rhodiola

Salidroside is the most-studied bioactive in rhodiola — and, as of 2024, finally available as a fermentation-derived isolated compound. One small Phase II RCT exists; everything else lives in the whole-extract literature. What the data actually say.

Schisandra: A Practical Guide

Tribulus Terrestris: A Practical Guide

Yohimbine

Yohimbine is an indole alkaloid from the bark of the Pausinystalia yohimbe tree, used as a traditional aphrodisiac in West African medicine and prescribed for erectile dysfunction in the U.S. and Europe before sildenafil became available in 1998.…