Foods, herbs and medicine … a blurring of the boundaries

For decades, food has been considered the source of nutrients essential to the biochemical processes which sustain life. The concept of recommending minimum levels of each nutrient to prevent deficiency diseases has prevailed.

Whilst this view still holds true, research into other chemical properties of plant foods has revealed that plant foods hold new secrets to health. Such knowledge is providing valuable keys to our understanding of how different cultural dietary practices affects various aspects of health of whole populations.