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THE PURSER WELLNESS REFERENCE

Nutrients, made clearer.

Explore food sources, possible deficiency symptoms, supplement forms and questions to bring to your next visit.

23 entries

Symptoms can overlap. Herbs and other compounds do not all have a recognized deficiency syndrome; each entry explains the difference.

Botanicals & foods

Açaí Berry

A fruit eaten as pulp or puree and also sold in concentrated products.

Botanicals & foods

Andrographis

An herb used in traditional preparations and sold as an extract.

Botanicals & foods

Astragalus

A plant whose root is used in traditional herbal preparations.

Botanicals & foods

Camu Camu

A fruit used in powders and drinks, often marketed for its vitamin C content.

Botanicals & foods

Echinacea

A group of plants used in herbal preparations.

Botanicals & foods

Elderberry

A berry used in cooked foods and extracts.

Botanicals & foods

Frankincense

Resin from Boswellia trees; preparations for fragrance and oral extracts are different products.

Botanicals & foods

Ginkgo Biloba

A tree whose leaf extracts are sold as supplements.

Botanicals & foods

Goji Berry

A fruit also called wolfberry, sold dried and in extracts.

Botanicals & foods

Grape Seed Extract

A concentrated botanical preparation containing grape-seed polyphenols.

Botanicals & foods

Green Tea

A beverage from Camellia sinensis; concentrated extracts differ from brewed tea.

Botanicals & foods

Lavender

An aromatic plant used in fragrances and selected herbal preparations.

Botanicals & foods

Maitake

An edible mushroom also sold in extract form.

Botanicals & foods

Mangosteen

A tropical fruit also sold in juice and concentrated extracts.

Botanicals & foods

Milk Thistle

A plant whose seed extracts contain a mixture called silymarin.

Botanicals & foods

Noni Berry

A tropical fruit sold as juice and concentrated preparations.

Botanicals & foods

Piperine

A compound in black pepper that can affect absorption and metabolism of other substances.

Botanicals & foods

Pomegranate

A fruit whose arils, juice and extracts differ in fiber and concentration.

Botanicals & foods

Pycnogenol

A trademarked extract of French maritime pine bark.

Botanicals & foods

Rhodiola

An herb whose root extracts are sold in supplements.

Botanicals & foods

Shiitake

An edible mushroom also sold in concentrated preparations.

Botanicals & foods

Turmeric

A spice from a plant rhizome; curcumin is one of its constituents.

Botanicals & foods

Wild Cherry Bark

A botanical used in traditional preparations; it is not a dietary nutrient.

These pages adapt the Purser educational materials into plain language. They are educational summaries, not individualized assessments or a claim of independent medical review.