New figures suggest dietary supplement sales in the U.S. increased slightly in 2008, reaching an estimated $4.8 billion.
The report has been published in the nonprofit American Botanical Councils quarterly journal HerbalGram, and was based on data from multiple market research firms.
It found the five top-selling herbal supplements of 2008 were flaxseed oil, wheat and barley grass, stevia, aloe vera and milk thistle. The top-selling herbal singles of 2008 were cranberry, soy, garlic, saw palmetto and ginkgo.
“There is vast opportunity for innovative herbal products to move outside the category and into the food and beverage universe with the potential of attracting new shopper segments,” says Mary Ellen Lynch, director of consumer insights for SPINS, a market research firm, and a co-author of the report.
“For example, the antioxidant turmeric, which continues to grow in the natural channel, has this potential due to its link to multiple health benefits that align well to the mainstream consumers growing interest in health and wellness,” she adds.
Experts have also suggested the interest in nutritional health supplements may be linked to the ongoing recession and the fact that ever fewer Americans have access to traditional healthcare due to escalating costs of insurance. 