Herbs, Spices, Teas, Supplements and Drugs: How They Differ
How the terms herb, spice, tea, dietary supplement, natural health product and drug are defined, and why the same plant can fall into different categories.
Content last updated . This page has not been medically reviewed.
Safety first. Natural products can cause side effects and interact with medicines. Read herb safety and interactions before you use anything on this page.
The same plant can be a seasoning in a kitchen, a tea, a capsule sold as a supplement and, in some countries, a licensed medicine. Which category it falls into depends on how it is prepared, how it is labeled and what claims are made for it, and the rules differ from one country to another. The category affects what has been checked before sale and what the label may say. It does not tell you how much of the plant is in a product or whether the product is safe for you.
How the sources define the terms
| Term | How the source uses it |
|---|---|
| Herb | A plant or plant part used for its scent, flavor, or therapeutic properties (MedlinePlus). [1] |
| Spice (US food labeling rules) | Any aromatic vegetable substance in whole, broken or ground form, whose significant function in food is seasoning rather than nutritional. It excludes substances traditionally regarded as foods, such as onions, garlic and celery. [2] |
| Herbal supplement or botanical | A type of dietary supplement containing one or more herbs (NCCIH). [3] |
| Dietary supplement (US) | A product that is ingested (it must be swallowed), contains a "dietary ingredient" and is labeled as a dietary supplement. Dietary ingredients include herbs and other botanicals. [4] |
| Herbal medicine | Herbs, herbal materials, herbal preparations and finished herbal products (WHO). [5] |
| Natural health product (Canada) | In the regulations, a substance set out in a schedule of the regulations, or a combination of such substances, a homeopathic medicine or a traditional medicine, that is manufactured, sold or represented for uses such as treating or preventing disease or modifying organic functions in humans. [6] |
| Drug | A product sold as a dietary supplement but represented explicitly or implicitly for the treatment, prevention or cure of a specific disease meets the definition of a drug in the US. [4] |
| Botanical drug entity | Researchers describe "natural product botanical" as botanical "defined mixtures" recognized as drug entities by the FDA. [7] |
MedlinePlus adds that herbal medicines are one type of dietary supplement and are sold as tablets, capsules, powders, teas, extracts, and fresh or dried plants. [1]
Teas, foods and supplements
Under US rules, a dietary supplement can be in the same form as a conventional food category, such as teas or bars, but only if the product is not represented as a conventional food. [4] The label must include the term "dietary supplement" or an equivalent such as "herbal supplement". [4] A tea sold as a food and a tea sold as a supplement are therefore treated differently on paper. For the tea products themselves, see Herbal Teas & Extracts.Same plant, different category
| Plant | As a spice or food | As a supplement | Caution stated by the source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinnamon (Cinnamomum species) | A spice from the dried bark of various Cinnamomum trees [8] | Promoted as a dietary supplement for diabetes and weight loss [8] | See cinnamon |
| Turmeric (Curcuma longa) | The rhizome has been used for culinary and cosmetic purposes [9] | Many curcumin products with increased bioavailability are on the market [9] | Highly bioavailable formulations may harm the liver [9] |
| Green tea (Camellia sinensis) | A tea made from the leaves of the plant [10] | Green tea and its extracts are promoted as dietary supplements [10] | Uncommon liver injury, primarily with extracts in tablet or capsule form [10] |
| Garlic (Allium sativum) | A food with a long history of use in foods and for health purposes [11]; US spice rules exclude garlic from the definition of a spice [2] | Garlic supplements [11] | Supplements may increase the risk of bleeding; fresh raw garlic on the skin can cause burns [11] |
The difference between a food amount and a supplement amount can be large. The page on culinary amounts vs supplement amounts covers that, and each herb guide describes the form that was studied.
Rules in different countries
| Place | What the sources we read say |
|---|---|
| United States | Under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), FDA does not have the authority to approve dietary supplements before they are marketed. [4] Manufacturers and distributors are prohibited from marketing adulterated or misbranded products, and FDA can act after a product reaches the market. [12] Labels cannot claim that a supplement can diagnose, treat, cure, mitigate or prevent a disease. [13] |
| Canada | No person shall sell a natural health product unless a product licence is issued for it, and the Minister assigns a product number to each licensed product. [6] Plant ingredients are named by the Latin genus and, if any, specific epithet. [6] |
| European Union | Herbal medicinal products can be authorized through traditional use registration, well-established use authorization, or a full application. A full quality dossier is required for all herbal medicinal products. [14] Traditional use registration requires use for at least 30 years, including at least 15 years in the EU. [14] EU herbal monographs should not be confused with European Pharmacopoeia monographs. [14] |
| United Kingdom | The NHS says herbal medicines are not available on the NHS. [15] Product rules for herbal products were not described in the sources we read. |
| Other countries | Not described in the sources we read. |
See US regulation of herbal supplements and herbs and the law for more on how rules work.
Why this matters when you buy or use an herb
- What is listed on the label of a supplement may not be what is in the product. [3] The FDA has found prescription drugs, including warfarin, in products sold as dietary supplements. [13]
- Supplement labels cannot claim to treat a disease; a product represented that way meets the definition of a drug. [13][4]
- See quality testing and certifications for how product quality is checked.
Frequently asked questions
Is an herb the same as a spice?
Not always. MedlinePlus defines an herb as a plant or plant part used for scent, flavor or therapeutic properties. [1] US food labeling rules define a spice by its function in food, and they exclude things traditionally regarded as foods, such as onions, garlic and celery. [2]
Is a herbal supplement a drug?
In the US a herbal supplement is a dietary supplement, not a drug. But a product sold as a supplement and represented for the treatment or cure of a specific disease meets the definition of a drug. [4]
Does the FDA approve herbal supplements?
No. Under DSHEA, FDA does not have the authority to approve dietary supplements before they are marketed. [4]
Are herbal medicines treated the same way in every country?
No. In Canada a licence is required to sell a natural health product, [6] and in the EU herbal medicinal products follow pathways such as traditional use registration. [14] Other countries were not described in the sources we read.
Does "traditional" on a label mean it is approved?
Not by itself. In the EU, traditional use registration is a defined pathway with a 30-year use requirement. [14] Rules in other countries were not described in the sources we read.
More details: evidence, limits and cautions
The details behind this page: cautions, limits of the evidence and where sources disagree. Open any note to read it.
Safety and who should ask a clinician
References
- MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine). Herbal Medicine. Read 2026-10-22.
- U.S. Code of Federal Regulations. 21 CFR 101.22, Foods; labeling of spices, flavorings, colorings and chemical preservatives. Read 2026-10-22.
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH). Dietary and Herbal Supplements. Page last updated February 2020.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Questions and Answers on Dietary Supplements. Read 2026-10-22.
- World Health Organization. Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine. Read 2026-10-22.
- Government of Canada. Natural Health Products Regulations (SOR/2003-196). Page dated 2026-10-15.
- Newman DJ, Cragg GM. Natural Products as Sources of New Drugs over the Nearly Four Decades from 01/1981 to 09/2019. J Nat Prod. 2020;83(3):770-803.
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH). Cinnamon. Page last updated November 2024.
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH). Turmeric: Usefulness and Safety. Page last updated April 2025.
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH). Green Tea: Usefulness and Safety. Page last updated February 2025.
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH). Garlic. Page last updated February 2025.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Dietary Supplements. Content current as of October 1, 2024.
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH). Using Dietary Supplements Wisely. Page last updated January 2019.
- European Medicines Agency. Herbal medicinal products. Read 2026-10-22.
- NHS (England). Herbal medicines and complementary therapies. Page last reviewed 1 May 2026.