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In Poland, food supplements have been popular among consumers for many years. Their sale brings producers huge profits. The interest in these products, especially in vitamin and mineral preparations and in immunity-supporting products increased dramatically due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Self-medication with untested dietary supplements may be health hazardous. Since in Poland and in other countries the procedures of quality control of food supplements are imperfect, this situation raises serious concerns about the risks of their unrestricted use and food fraud. The article briefly presents important problems in the safety of food supplements from the point of view of experts involved in their evaluation.

Introduction: The use of dietary supplements has been increasing globally, especially among children. A lot of parents are influenced by advertising. In addition, in Poland a trend to self-medication has been observed. Parents often do not distinguish dietary supplements, medicinal products and non-prescription drugs. These are the most common reasons for the increase in sales of dietary supplements in Poland. Until a few years ago, many products containing vitamins and minerals intended for children were sold as medicines. Today, a product with the same formulation is sold as a dietary supplement. However, a few studies have been conducted to assess the use of dietary supplements among Polish children.

Introduction: The molecular basis of in vivo metabolism of selected representatives of phenylethanoids in the presence of ethanol has not been fully elucidated.

Fenugreek has a long tradition of use as a medicine and also has been commonly used as food in many countries. This plant is well known, especially in Asia. In Europe, fenugreek seeds are regarded as a traditional herbal medicine consumed in case of loss of appetite and in confirmed skin inflammations. Trigonella foenum-graecum seeds contain wide spectrum of different biologically active constituents which affect the properties of preparations produced from this plant. Numerous preclinical studies confirm the use of fenu-greek as a hypolipidemic and lowering blood glucose level drug. Unfortunately, there are not many clinical studies on fenugreek seeds in this area. Published studies often significantly differ in the amount and type of fenugreek seed preparation used. However, results of available scientific research are promising and suggest the possibility of using fenugreek seeds in metabolic syndrome therapy. Undoubtedly, further research is required to confirm such properties of Trigonella foenum-graecum.

Pelargonium sidoides DC is an interesting plant with various biological properties. Pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers of food supplements are particularly interested in its beneficial effects in upper respiratory tract infections. The search for new therapeutic options is especially important at a time when antibiotics are prescribed too often. However, due to proven clinical effects of extracts from Pelargonium sidoides, their use in diet supplements, especially intended for infants and small children, is highly disputable. The paper presents reports on the use of Pelargonium sidoides extracts in paediatrics and also tries to answer the question whether the pelargonium extract should be qualified as food supplement or medicine.

A lot of products from food category specified in Regulation No. 609/2013 may contain herbal substances or their preparations. Definitions of food for infants and toddlers, food for special medical purposes, and total diet replacement for weight control are now clearly regulated by UE food legislation. The concept and definition of foodstuffs for particular nutritional published in Directive 2009/39/EC of the European Parliament and Council of 6 May 2009 do not apply. On 22 February 2019, Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/128 complementary to Regulation (EU) No. 609/2013, regarding specific compositional and information requirements for food of special medical purposes was applied. Novel foods and novel food ingredients are foods which have not been used for human consumption in UE to a significant degree before 15 May 1997.

Introduction: In recent years, the search for potential neuroprotective properties of salidroside and its ability to influence the activity of nervous system become the subject of intense studies of many research groups. None of these studies, however, include an attempt to determine the effect of salidroside on the course of alcohol tolerance in vivo.