Nutraceuticals: Drugs called food

“Nutraceuticals” is a word 35 years old, defined by its inventor (Dr Stephen DeFelice) as “a food (or part of a food) that provides medical or health benefits, including the prevention and treatment of a disease” [1]. The use of food as medicine is as old as humanity. Most animals use herbs and other natural products to care about their own health or to cure their diseases.