Natural toxicants in plant-based foods, including herbs and spices and herbal food supplements, and accompanying risks

Our modern food chain may contain natural toxins from plants, either due to their natural presence in the plant-derived food or in the raw material used for food production or because these constituents are added during the regular production process, or present as contaminants. The present chapter presents an overview of situations where natural toxins from plants may raise concern, illustrated by examples of relevant structural features, toxic modes of action, their safety or risk assessment, and potential regulations related to their occurrence in the modern food chain. It is concluded that the safety concerns in part arise from the fact that botanicals and botanical preparations are considered food and thus a priori not subject to premarket evaluation and/or quality control for their safety in use. The chapter ends with a discussion presenting existing data gaps and research directions.