German ipecac: Benefits Versus Risks, How It Differs from Ipecac Syrup, and Safe Alternatives
German ipecac is the common name for Vincetoxicum hirundinaria, a European swallow-wort historically used as an emetic. The name invites confusion with ipecac syrup (from Carapichea ipecacuanha, formerly Cephaelis), once kept in medicine cabinets to induce vomiting after poisonings. Today, poisoning experts advise against using any emetic at home. Modern interest in German ipecac centers on its alkaloids (notably...
German sarsaparilla: Properties, Potential Benefits, Recommended Dosage, and Risks Explained
German sarsaparilla is the common name for Carex arenaria, a sand-loving sedge native to coastal Europe. Unlike the tropical “sarsaparilla” used in old-fashioned tonics (Smilax species), German sarsaparilla comes from a grass-like plant whose rhizome was once brewed as a diuretic and “blood purifier.” Interest today centers on its traditional use for mild urinary discomfort, skin flare-ups, and joint...
Germander: Benefits for Digestion and Weight, Dosage Recommendations, and Side Effects
Germander (Teucrium chamaedrys) is a small Mediterranean herb long used in folk medicine for digestion, metabolic support, and weight control. It shows antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity in laboratory models, driven by flavonoids and neoclerodane diterpenoids. Yet germander is also one of the best-documented herbal causes of clinically apparent liver injury. Dozens of cases—from tea infusions and capsules—have been reported,...
Germanium: Immune Support Claims, Proven Uses, Dosing Guidance, and Side Effects
Germanium is a metalloid best known for its role in electronics—not for human nutrition. Yet “organic germanium” capsules and liquids have circulated for decades, promoted for immunity, energy, pain, and even cancer. The reality is more complicated. Germanium is not an essential nutrient, and several inorganic forms have caused severe, sometimes fatal, kidney damage when taken chronically. Even products...
GHK-Cu: Skin Benefits, How It Works, Best Uses, Dosage, and Safety
GHK-Cu is a naturally occurring copper tripeptide—glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine bound to copper(II)—best known for its role in skin repair and cosmetic dermatology. First identified in human plasma, GHK helps shuttle copper, a vital trace mineral for antioxidant enzymes and collagen-building processes. When complexed with copper as GHK-Cu, it can signal cells to produce structural proteins, dampen excessive inflammation, and support tissue...
Giloy extract: Evidence-Based Benefits, How It Works, Safe Dosage, and Side Effects
Giloy (Tinospora cordifolia) is a woody vine long used in Ayurveda and increasingly sold as capsules, tinctures, powders, and standardized extracts. People reach for it to support immunity, ease allergy-like symptoms, and help with recovery from infections or fatigue. Early human research suggests symptom relief for allergic rhinitis in particular, while a broader body of laboratory work points to...
Ginger essential oil: Uses for Nausea and Motion Sickness, Practical Aromatherapy Methods, Dosage, and Safety
Ginger essential oil is the concentrated aromatic fraction distilled from the rhizome of Zingiber officinale. Unlike dried ginger powder or standardized ginger extracts, this oil is rich in volatile sesquiterpenes (like zingiberene) and monoterpenes that deliver a warming scent and topical sensation. People most often use it for inhalation during bouts of nausea, as a massage add-in for sore...
Ginger extract: Uses for Nausea in Pregnancy and Post-Surgery, Recommended Doses, and Side Effects
Ginger extract comes from the rhizome of Zingiber officinale, concentrated to deliver the pungent compounds—chiefly gingerols and shogaols—responsible for its warming taste and many biologic effects. Unlike essential oil (which is mostly aromatic terpenes), standardized extracts capture these non-volatile actives and are taken orally as capsules, tablets, or liquid tinctures. People most often use ginger extract to reduce nausea...
Gingerol: Health Benefits, How It Works, Optimal Dosage, and Safety
Gingerol is the signature pungent compound in fresh ginger that gives the root its heat—and much of its therapeutic reputation. As a bioactive phenolic, gingerol contributes to ginger’s well-known effects on nausea, digestion, and inflammation. Research shows that 6-gingerol (the most abundant form) interacts with serotonin signaling in the gut, influences inflammatory pathways, and is rapidly metabolized and cleared...
Ginkgo biloba extract: Clinical Evidence for Memory and Circulation, Daily Dose Ranges, and Safety Precautions
Ginkgo biloba extract is one of the most studied herbal preparations worldwide. Standardized leaf extracts—most notably those providing 24% flavone glycosides and 6% terpene lactones with low ginkgolic acids—have been evaluated for cognitive symptoms in mild dementia, age-related memory complaints, anxiety, peripheral circulation, and tinnitus. Results are mixed: some trials report small improvements in cognition or daily functioning in...
Ginkgolides: Evidence for Brain and Circulation, Practical Dosage, and Side Effects
Ginkgolides are the distinctive terpene lactones found naturally in the leaves of the Ginkgo biloba tree. They’re best known for blocking platelet-activating factor (PAF)—a signaling molecule involved in clotting, inflammation, and blood-vessel tone. That single property gives ginkgolides an intriguing profile: potential support for microcirculation and neuroprotection, but also a need for caution in people at bleeding risk. In...
Ginseng extract : Benefits, Properties, Uses, Dosage, and Side Effects Explained
Ginseng extract is one of the world’s most studied herbal concentrates, valued for its adaptogenic profile—the ability to help the body respond to physical and mental stress. Standardized extracts from Asian (Panax ginseng) and American (Panax quinquefolius) ginseng contain ginsenosides, a family of saponins believed to drive most benefits. People look to ginseng for everyday energy and fatigue support,...
Ginsenosides: Metabolic, Cognitive, and Energy Benefits Explained, With Dosing and Risks
Ginsenosides are the signature bioactive compounds in ginseng, a long-used botanical known for its “adaptogen” reputation. These steroid-like saponins—including Rg1, Rb1, Rg3, and the gut-derived metabolite compound K—are studied for effects on energy, stress response, blood flow, inflammation, and metabolic health. Modern extraction and fermentation methods can concentrate or pre-convert ginsenosides to forms the body absorbs more easily. While...
Glabridin: Visceral Fat and Skin Tone Benefits, How to Take It, Dosage, and Warnings
Glabridin is a bioactive flavonoid concentrated in the roots of Glycyrrhiza glabra (true licorice). In labs, it shows antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and it can inhibit tyrosinase—the enzyme that drives excess melanin—making it a frequent addition to brightening serums. In nutrition research, glabridin-rich “licorice flavonoid oil” (LFO) has been studied for changes in body fat, lipids, and liver markers....
Glisodin: Comprehensive Guide to Benefits, Properties, Uses, Dosage, and Side Effects
Gliosdin (often styled “GliSODin”) is a patented supplement that pairs superoxide dismutase (SOD) from a unique French melon with a wheat protein carrier called gliadin. SOD is a first-line antioxidant enzyme your cells use to neutralize superoxide radicals. On its own, oral SOD is fragile and breaks down in the gut; the gliadin matrix protects it and appears to...
Globemallow: Anti-inflammatory Properties, Topical Uses, Dosage Guidance, and Risks
Globemallow is a common name for several North American and Mexican plants in the genus Sphaeralcea (mallow family, Malvaceae). These hardy, drought-tolerant wildflowers have been used in traditional medicine as soothing, demulcent herbs and for calming red, irritated skin. Modern research—largely centered on Sphaeralcea angustifolia—has isolated active constituents such as scopoletin, tomentin, and sphaeralcic acid that show anti-inflammatory and...
Glossy privet benefits for bone health and healthy aging: evidence, how to use, dosage, and safety
Glossy privet (Ligustrum lucidum), known in Chinese medicine as Nu Zhen Zi or Fructus Ligustri Lucidi, is a dark, olive-like fruit used for centuries to “nourish liver and kidney yin,” support healthy aging, and maintain vitality. Modern lab and animal research highlights bioactive constituents—such as triterpenes (oleanolic and ursolic acids), secoiridoids (specnuezhenide, nuezhenide), phenylpropanoids, and flavonoids—that may influence bone...
Glucomannan: What It Is, Proven Benefits for LDL and Glucose, Dosage Guidelines, and Risks
Glucomannan is a highly viscous, soluble dietary fiber derived from the tuber of the konjac plant (Amorphophallus konjac). Because it absorbs water and forms a gel, it slows digestion, helps you feel full, and can blunt post-meal blood sugar spikes. Over the last few decades, research has explored glucomannan for weight management, cholesterol support, blood sugar control, and bowel...
Glucoraphanin: What It Does, How to Take It, Recommended Dosage, and Precautions
Glucoraphanin is the main bioactive glucosinolate in broccoli and broccoli sprouts. When plant myrosinase (or gut microbes) act on glucoraphanin, it forms sulforaphane—the compound behind most of broccoli’s studied health effects. Interest in glucoraphanin has surged because it is stable on the shelf, can be standardized in supplements, and, when properly activated, delivers sulforaphane with predictable potency. People use...
Glucosamine Hydrochloride: Health Benefits, Evidence for Osteoarthritis, How to Use, Dosage, and Safety
Glucosamine hydrochloride (often labeled “glucosamine HCl”) is a widely used joint supplement derived from shellfish shells or made by vegetarian fermentation. As a structural amino sugar, it helps build cartilage components such as glycosaminoglycans and hyaluronic acid. People most often take it for knee osteoarthritis, hoping to ease pain and improve function with fewer medication side effects. Evidence is...
Glucosamine Sulfate: Mechanism, Pros and Limitations, How Much to Take, and Safety Profile
Glucosamine sulfate is one of the most widely used supplements for osteoarthritis—especially knee osteoarthritis. It supplies a building block (an amino sugar) that your body uses to form cartilage and joint-lubricating molecules. People choose glucosamine sulfate because it’s generally well tolerated, taken once daily at 1,500 mg, and affordable. Evidence is mixed overall, but some research—particularly with prescription-grade crystalline...
Glucosamine: Health Benefits, How to Use It, Recommended Dosage, and Safety
Glucosamine is a structural building block your body uses to maintain cartilage, joint fluid, and connective tissues. As a supplement, it’s most often taken to ease knee, hip, and hand osteoarthritis symptoms—especially stiffness and day-to-day aches that limit activity. You’ll see several forms on labels, most commonly glucosamine sulfate and glucosamine hydrochloride, and sometimes combinations with chondroitin, MSM, or...
Glucuronolactone: Mechanism, Potential Benefits, Daily Dosage, and Safety Profile
Glucuronolactone is a naturally occurring carbohydrate derivative found in small amounts in the human body and in foods. It is best known as an ingredient in energy drinks, where it appears alongside caffeine and taurine. While marketing often frames it as a “detox” helper or a performance booster, the real story is more nuanced. Glucuronolactone is part of the...
Glutamic acid: Umami Taste, Nutritional Roles, Dosage Guidelines, and Side Effects
Glutamic acid is a non-essential amino acid that your body makes and uses every day. It is abundant in protein-rich foods and serves as a key molecule in metabolism and cell signaling. In its ionized form (glutamate), it acts as the most common excitatory neurotransmitter in the nervous system and also contributes to the savory “umami” taste in foods....
