Abstract
In recent years, a new market has developed for food products designed to reduce the risk or effect of disease on consumers. Some of these so-called functional foods contain plant-derived bioactives, yet there is a lack of knowledge about their use, efficacy, and safety in foods. Some of these plant-derived substances are not normally consumed in the diet as concentrated extracts, and others have only previously been used as herbal medicines. The implications of the food-as-medicine concept when using plant-derived bioactives are discussed.