Early on, most of the scientific literature was highly technical and concerned with the chemical properties of various plants, especially herbs.

Yet very little was being done to determine the medicinal value of these substances — that is, actual scientific studies on the effects of plant extracts.

But then, because of the recognition that many extracts produced powerful medicinal effects, the number of scientific studies increased exponentially.

Today, we not only understand how these compounds can help treat a wide range of diseases, we also understand, sometimes in great detail, how they are affecting cell processes associated with health and disease.

In addition, the better manufacturers have greatly improved their extraction and purification techniques, making plant extracts of much higher quality, with strengths that exceed pharmaceutical drugs many times over.

Recently, some of these manufacturers have directed their attention toward improving the compounds’ bioavailability, which refers to how well they are absorbed from the gut and distributed to the various tissue and organs.

Improving bioavailability is absolutely essential to getting the benefits from these substances.