With today’s growth in the supplement world, more terms are getting used that you may not understand. Do you know the difference between an extract and a tincture? Between enriched and fortified? Below are 10 herbal supplement words that you need to know.

Antioxidant – a substance that can lessen damage or prevent the damage to cells that is caused by oxidation. Antioxidants are the vitamins E, C, and beta carotene.

IU – International Unit – this unit measures a vitamin’s activity. Only 3 vitamins have this measurement: A, D, and E.

Mg- milligram – This is a unit of measurement that means 1/1000 of a gram.

Mcg- microgram- This is a unit of measurement that means 1/1000 of a milligram.

Enriched – Where a product loses nutrients via the cooking process or preparation and have them added back to the final product.

Fortified – Where a product has had nutrients added that would normally be miniscule or nonexistent in the original product.

Extract – A concentration of an herb, liquid or otherwise, that is added to water or alcohol.

Tincture – A liquid concentration of an herb that is added to alcohol. A Weaker extract.

RDA – The recommended daily allowance- The amount needed of a vitamin or mineral to meet the minimum daily needs of a person.

UL - Upper Limit – The highest amount of a vitamin or mineral that you can take before toxicity range.

Vitamins, herbs, and minerals are all coming into the public eye as being an easier form of treatment in today’s side-effect laced western medicine market. However, they are not as regulated and tested as the FDA was put in place to test man-made drugs. Care should be taken and a physician should be informed whenever you take new supplements.