Only Panax can be called ginseng on U.S. labels, and this is how to decode the rest

Key takeaways

• Since 2002, U.S. law has allowed the word “ginseng” on herb labels and ads only for plants in the genus Panax, so eleuthero can’t be sold as “Siberian ginseng”⁴.
• U.S. supplement labels must use standard herb names from an industry reference book and must state the plant part used, such as root or leaf¹³.
• Comfrey root carries more liver-toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids than the leaf, and the FDA advised supplement makers in 2001 to pull comfrey products¹³¹⁴.
• A “4:1” extract means about 4 parts of herb went into 1 part of extract; it says nothing about which compounds made it through⁵⁶.
• In 2008, Europe’s herbal medicines committee concluded that “adaptogen” is not an accepted term in the drug and clinical language used across the EU⁷.

In March 2014, the FDA sent a warning letter to a Florida supplement maker. Among the problems: one product listed an ingredient called “Our Lady’s Tears”¹.

The FDA said the label should have used the plant’s standard name: lily of the valley¹.

That isn’t a small detail. Lily of the valley contains cardiac glycosides, the same family of heart-affecting compounds found in foxglove, and Oregon’s poison center lists it as a look-alike for wild garlic and ramps¹⁵.

Folk names like “Our Lady’s Tears” carry history and devotion. But they shift from region to region, and they can hide what a plant really is. That’s why botanists, and the law, lean on Latin names and plant parts.

This guide translates the words on an herb label into plain English. For each one, you’ll learn what it promises, what it leaves out and what to ask before you buy.

A plant’s scientific name has two parts and a signature

Every plant species has a two-part scientific name, called a binomial. The first word is the genus, a group of close relatives. The second word is the species. Both are written in italics, with the genus capitalized: Valeriana officinalis for valerian.

Formal botanical names add a third piece: an abbreviation for the botanist who named the plant. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) asks for the author in the official product information for herbal medicines⁵. You’ll see names like Valeriana officinalis L., where “L.” stands for Carl Linnaeus, the 18th-century Swedish botanist who popularized two-part names.

Sometimes part of the author citation sits in parentheses. Eleuthero, for instance, is Eleutherococcus senticosus (Rupr. & Maxim.) Maxim.⁸. The botanists in parentheses first described it under a different genus, as Hedera senticosa. Maximowicz later moved it to Eleutherococcus⁸.

That history matters because plants collect old names, called synonyms. German chamomile shows up as Matricaria chamomilla, Matricaria recutita and Chamomilla recutita, all for the same plant¹⁰. Roman chamomile appears as Chamaemelum nobile or Anthemis nobilis¹⁰.

Those two chamomiles are different plants. Roman chamomile is a Mediterranean perennial. German chamomile’s oil is rich in chamazulene, which turns it blue, and bisabolol compounds, while the main compounds in Roman chamomile’s oil are esters¹⁰. Our article on chamomile for sleep shows why the Latin name on the label is worth checking.

Common names can cover several plants, or the wrong one

“Ginseng.” A farm law signed on May 13, 2002, settled this for U.S. shoppers. Under federal food and drug law, “ginseng,” even as part of a name, now belongs only to herbs from the genus Panax, on both labels and ads⁴. In the same section, Congress gave the word “catfish” the same treatment for one family of fish⁴.

So in the United States, eleuthero can’t be labeled “Siberian ginseng.” Eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus) belongs to the same plant family as Asian and American ginseng, but it isn’t considered a true ginseng⁹. A University of Texas at El Paso herbal safety program notes that eleuthero has been used to adulterate products claimed to contain true ginseng⁹. In English and German, plant databases still list “Siberian ginseng” among its common names⁸.

“Black cohosh.” In a study published in 2006, a team led by researchers in New York tested 11 black cohosh products bought from local stores between 2002 and 2004. Three contained no black cohosh at all, and one was a mixture¹².

A later study by scientists at the New York Botanical Garden and Stony Brook University used DNA testing on 36 black cohosh supplements. Nine contained related Asian species of Actaea instead of the North American plant¹¹. Once the rhizome is ground into powder, features like leaf shape that tell these cousins apart are lost¹¹.

“Lily of the valley.” As the warning letter showed, even a standard name can disappear behind a poetic one¹.

The part of the plant can matter as much as the species

A plant is not one chemical package. Roots, leaves, flowers, seeds and bark can hold very different compounds and amounts. That’s why U.S. rules require a botanical supplement label to state the part used, in English, such as “flower” rather than the Latin “flos”¹.

Comfrey shows how much the part matters. Comfrey contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, called PAs, which damage the liver and may cause cancer¹³¹⁴. A 2010 review in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health reported higher PA levels in comfrey roots than in leaves¹⁴.

The review cited an estimate that six months of comfrey capsules, two with each meal, would supply about 162 milligrams of PAs from leaf products but about 1,740 milligrams from root products¹⁴. A single cup of comfrey root tea may hold 8 to 26 milligrams¹⁴.

In July 2001, the FDA advised supplement makers to remove comfrey products from the market and said comfrey should not be used as an ingredient in dietary supplements¹³. At the time of that 2010 review, Germany allowed comfrey only in products for external use, with a daily PA limit and a cap of four to six weeks of use a year¹⁴.

The lesson travels well beyond comfrey. A tradition that used one part, prepared one way, doesn’t vouch for a different part sold in a capsule.

U.S. labels must use a standard name, from a book written by industry

Under the federal rule for botanical names, 21 CFR 101.4(h), a supplement’s herb name must be consistent with the names standardized in a reference called Herbs of Commerce¹. The label must state the part of the plant. If the book gives no standard common name, the label must give the Latin genus and species in parentheses¹.

The surprise: that reference book comes from the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), an industry trade group. AHPA created it in 1992 to cut down on confusing herb names, and federal rules adopted it by reference in 1997³.

An FDA proposal in 2003 would have moved to the 2000 second edition and spelled out the ginseng limit in the rule itself². It was never finalized, and the rule still names the 1992 first edition¹³.

AHPA petitioned the FDA in 2017 to adopt the second edition. A year later, the agency told the group it hadn’t decided, citing competing priorities³.

In 2023, AHPA released a third edition, roughly 800 entries larger than the second, and asked the FDA to adopt that one³. As of that request, the legal naming standard for U.S. herbs still rested on a book more than 30 years old. We could not confirm any FDA action since then.

What “4:1,” “standardized” and “full-spectrum” really tell you

The EMA’s guideline on declaring herbal ingredients gives the clearest definitions of extract terms. They are worth knowing even for U.S. products, which often use the same words.

The ratio. The drug extract ratio, or DER, compares the amount of herb used with the amount of extract made. The herb comes first⁵⁶. A 4:1 extract means about 4 kilograms of dried herb went in for every 1 kilogram of extract that came out.

Picture a capsule with 100 milligrams of a 4:1 extract. If nothing else was added, it came from about 400 milligrams of dried herb. But makers can add carriers or fillers, so the EMA distinguishes a “genuine” ratio that leaves those additions out⁵. Because plant batches vary, the genuine ratio will normally be a range, such as 3–6:1⁵⁶.

A ratio also can’t tell you which compounds the solvent pulled out. Water, alcohol and other solvents draw out different compounds, so the EMA expects official product information to name the solvent used⁵.

In March 2026, EMA committees adopted a draft revision that would have European product information list both the genuine ratio and the matching amount of herb⁶. Public comments ran from April 1 to June 30, 2026. When we checked EMA’s guideline page in October 2026, the revision was still listed as a draft, and the 2010 version remained in effect⁶.

Standardized. In EU terms, a standardized extract is adjusted to a set content of compounds with known therapeutic activity⁵. A “quantified” extract is adjusted to a range of active marker compounds. All other extracts aren’t adjusted, and markers serve only for quality control⁶.

On a U.S. label, “standardized to 5% of compound X” promises consistency for compound X. It doesn’t prove that X is what makes the herb work, or that this extract matches the one tested in a trial.

Full-spectrum. This phrase appears nowhere in the EMA’s guideline, current or draft, and it isn’t one of its extract categories⁵⁶. Ask what it means for that product.

The EMA adds one more caution: a product name shouldn’t carry a single “strength” number, because a lone milligram figure could mislead⁵. A milligram count without the ratio, part and solvent tells you little.

Traditional action words describe use, not proof

Herbalism has its own vocabulary for what plants are used to do. These terms come from long tradition and careful observation. They are useful for describing intent, but they aren’t proven effects.

Adaptogen. The term was introduced in 1947 by N. V. Lazarev for a substance thought to raise the body’s general resistance to stress⁷. In 2008, the EMA’s Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC) reviewed the idea⁷.

Its verdict: “adaptogen” has no accepted place in the drug and medical vocabulary of the EU, and the molecular targets behind any such effect remain unknown⁷. None of the eleuthero trials it examined was strong enough to establish a benefit, though together they justified more research⁷. The word can’t support a full medicine approval, the committee decided, but the idea may be weighed when assessing traditional-use products⁷.

Tonic and stimulant. The paper also explains two older words. In traditional use, a tonic counters a general state of weakness or poor tone. Stimulants, the paper explains, give a burst of working capacity followed by a slump. Adaptogens are said to deliver the lift without the slump⁷.

Other common terms carry traditional meanings:

• Nervine: an herb used to calm or support the nerves.
• Carminative: an herb used to ease gas and bloating.
• Demulcent: a slippery, soothing herb used to coat irritated tissue, such as a sore throat.
• Bitter: a bitter-tasting herb taken before meals to stir appetite and digestion.

Each word tells you how a tradition used a plant. None tells you how well it works, at what dose, or for whom.

A label decoder you can take shopping

Label term	What it means	What it doesn’t tell you	Question to ask the seller
Latin binomial, e.g., Panax ginseng	Genus and species of the plant5	Whether the raw herb was identity-tested	How did you confirm the species?
Author abbreviation, e.g., “L.”	The botanist who named the species5	Anything about quality	No question needed
Common name, e.g., “chamomile”	The everyday name; U.S. labels must match a standard list1	Which of several plants is meant10	Which species, German or Roman?
“Eleuthero”	Eleutherococcus senticosus, not true ginseng9	Whether it works for stress	Why this plant instead of Panax?
Plant part, e.g., “root”	The part used, required on U.S. labels1	Whether that part matches the studied one	Which part was used in the research you cite?
“4:1 extract”	About 4 parts herb per 1 part extract6	Added fillers, solvent or which compounds survive	Is that the genuine ratio? What solvent?
“Standardized to X%”	Adjusted to a set level of compound X5	That X is the active ingredient	Was this extract tested in people?
“Full-spectrum”	A sales term with no EMA category56	Anything specific	What does it mean for this product?
“Adaptogen,” “nervine,” “tonic”	A traditional category of use7	Proven effect, dose or safety	What human evidence supports this use?

Bring a list of your medicines when you ask. A pharmacist can check the plant named on the label against them.

What the evidence shows

Claim	Evidence rating	What the research shows
The species in the bottle changes what you get	Strong evidence	Black cohosh products held Asian substitutes; the two chamomiles differ in chemistry101112
Comfrey root carries more liver-toxic PAs than the leaf	Strong evidence	Measured and estimated PA levels14
Comfrey taken by mouth is safe	Evidence says no, or unsafe	FDA advised removing it from supplements1314
Eleuthero (“Siberian ginseng”) improves stamina or stress	Not enough evidence	EMA found no trial strong enough to prove a benefit; more research was justified7
“Adaptogen” describes a proven drug action	Not enough evidence	EMA found the concept unproven and the data weak7

Why precise names honor the plant and the person

Natural health prizes purity, honesty and knowing exactly what you put in your body. A precise name serves all three. A folk name can tell you a plant’s story, while a Latin name and plant part tell you which plant you hold.

Precision also respects tradition. Many herbal traditions specify a plant, a part and a preparation for a reason, and the details are part of the knowledge itself. Reading the label closely is a way of taking that knowledge seriously.

Questions readers ask

The bottom line

The most useful words on an herb label are often the smallest: the Latin name, the author, the plant part, the ratio and the solvent. Together they tell you which plant you’re buying and how it was made. Folk names and marketing terms like “full-spectrum” can’t do that job.

Traditional action words such as adaptogen and nervine describe how herbs have been used for generations, which is worth knowing. They don’t prove an effect. When a label leaves out the details, ask the seller, and bring your medicine list to a pharmacist before you start.

Related reading

• The supplement facts panel and the blend that hides your dose
• Chamomile nudged sleep quality in small trials without fixing insomnia
• Why supplement labels say ‘supports’ and never say ‘cures’
• Herbal supplements are a $13 billion business, and herbalists need no license
• How experts tell deadly plants from their edible look-alikes

Sources

1. Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society. “‘Our Lady’s Tears’ Brings Warning Letter to Supplement Maker” (on FDA warning letter to Aloe Man International Corp., March 21, 2014). Regulatory Focus, April 16, 2014. raps.org
2. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Proposed rule amending 21 CFR 101.4(h) (Herbs of Commerce, 2nd edition; ginseng). Federal Register, August 28, 2003;68:51749. govinfo.gov
3. Nutraceuticals World. “AHPA Asks FDA to Update Regulations to Reference More Recent Issue of Herbs of Commerce.” November 16, 2023. nutraceuticalsworld.com
4. 21 U.S.C. § 321d, “Market names for catfish and ginseng” (Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, Pub. L. 107–171, § 10806). Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. law.cornell.edu
5. European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products. “Guideline on Declaration of Herbal Substances and Herbal Preparations in Herbal Medicinal Products/Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products” (EMA/HMPC/CHMP/CVMP/287539/2005 Rev.1). EMA, 2010. ema.europa.eu
6. European Medicines Agency. “Draft Guideline on Declaration of Herbal Substances and Herbal Preparations in Herbal Medicinal Products/Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products, Revision 2.” EMA, March 4, 2026 (status “Draft: consultation closed” on EMA’s guideline page, checked October 2026: ema.europa.eu). ema.europa.eu
7. European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products. “Reflection Paper on the Adaptogenic Concept” (EMEA/HMPC/102655/2007). EMA, May 8, 2008. ema.europa.eu
8. GRIN-Global Taxonomy, Australian Plant Genebank (South Australia). “Eleutherococcus senticosus (Rupr. & Maxim.) Maxim.” Accessed October 2026. apg.pir.sa.gov.au
9. Gonzalez Stuart A. “Eleuthero” herbal fact sheet. University of Texas at El Paso Herbal Safety program, accessed October 2026. facts sheet/eleuthero.html
10. Chiș M-S, Păucean A, Man S, et al. “A Comprehensive Review Regarding the Botanical Origin, Medicinal Uses and Chemical Composition of Roman and German Chamomile.” Hop and Medicinal Plants, 2019;27(1-2). journals.usamvcluj.ro
11. Scientific American. “Herbal Menopause Supplement Often Contains Other Species, DNA Bar Coding Reveals” (on Baker DA, Stevenson DW, Little DP, Journal of AOAC International, 95(4):1023–1034). scientificamerican.com
12. NutraIngredients. “Black Cohosh Substitution Problems Brought to Light” (on a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2006;54:3242–3253). April 27, 2006. nutraingredients.com
13. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling, and Dietary Supplements. “FDA Advises Dietary Supplement Manufacturers to Remove Comfrey Products From the Market.” July 6, 2001 (archived copy). e-lactancia.org
14. Mei N, Guo L, Fu PP, Fuscoe JC, Luan Y, Chen T. “Metabolism, Genotoxicity, and Carcinogenicity of Comfrey.” Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B, 2010;13(7-8):509–526. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
15. Hendrickson R. “Plants” (lecture slides, Oregon Poison Center, Oregon Health & Science University). 2023. ohsu.edu