The perfect storm of clean label, a growing “better for you” holistic approach to diet, and the expansion of plant-based eating continues to drive consumer interest in food as medicine. At the center of this storm are botanical ingredients — the ingredients derived from plants or forms of whole plants that can claim bioactive capacity that addresses a physiological need.
For food and beverage developers, medicinal plants can be divided into two categories, those that taste good and those that don’t. Most of the latter end up in supplements and, while that includes more than pills (think of liquid “shots” or gummies), pills are still the most common form of botanicals consumed in Americas.