About Botanic Choice

Botanic Choice sells herbal supplements, vitamins and natural personal care, both under its own label and from other brands, and has been in the business for more than a century.

What is on the shelves here

The catalogue is organised by the thing people are trying to address — digestion, sleep, energy, joints, heart, memory, men's and women's health — with single herbs alongside combination formulas. Vitamins and minerals sit beside the botanicals, as do homeopathic preparations and a range of skin and body care. Alongside the house brand you will find recognisable third-party names, so a single order can mix the two.

Supplements are not medicines, and that cuts both ways

This is the most useful thing to understand before buying anything in this category. Food supplements are regulated as food, not as medicine, which means they do not have to prove they treat a condition and are not held to the same evidence standard. Some herbs do have real, measurable effects — which is precisely why they can also cause real problems. St John's wort reduces the effectiveness of a long list of prescription drugs including some contraceptives; ginkgo, garlic and high-dose fish oil affect clotting; liquorice root affects blood pressure. None of that is exotic or rare.

The conversations worth having first

If you take any prescription medicine, are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a liver or kidney condition, or have surgery coming up, check with a pharmacist or doctor before starting a herbal product — pharmacists will do this for free and are genuinely good at it. Take one new thing at a time so you can tell what is doing what. Read the label for the actual quantity of active material rather than the size of the claim on the front, and stick to the stated dose: more is not better, and some fat-soluble vitamins accumulate.

Storage, expiry and when to stop

Botanicals lose potency with light, heat and damp, so the bathroom cabinet is the worst place in the house for them. Keep them somewhere cool and dark, close lids properly, and honour the expiry date rather than finishing an old bottle. Stop and seek advice if anything new appears — a rash, stomach upset, headaches, changes in sleep — rather than pushing through. And if a symptom you are treating persists or worsens, that is a reason to see a doctor, not a reason to increase the dose.