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Introduction The Multi-Fiber Arrangement (MFA) has governed international trade in textiles and clothing since 1974. The MFA enabled developed nations, mainly the USA, European Union and Canada to restrict imports from developing countries through a system of quotas. The Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC) to abolish MFA quotas marked a significant turnaround in the global textile trade. The ATC mandated progressive phase out of import quotas established under MFA, and the integration of textiles and clothing into the multilateral trading system before January 2005. The Agreement on Textiles and Clothing ATC is a transitory regime between the MFA and the integration of trading in textiles and clothing in the multilateral trading system. The ATC provided for a stage-wise integration process to be completed within a period of ten years (1995-2004), divided into four stages starting with the implementation of the agreement in 1995. The product groups from which products were to be integrated at each stage of the integration included (i) tops and yarns; (ii) fabrics; (iii) made-up textile products; and (iv) clothing. The ATC mandated that importing countries must integrate a specified minimum portion of their textile and garment exports based on total volume of trade in 1990, at the start of each phase of integration. In the first stage, each country was required to integrate 16 percent of the total volume of imports of 1990, followed by a further 17 percent at the end of first three year and another 18 percent at the end of third stage. The fourth stage would see the final integration of the remaining 49 percent of trade. Global Trade in Textile and Clothing World trade in textiles and clothing amounted to US $ 385 billion in 2003, of which textiles accounted for 43 percent (US $ 169 bn) and the remaining 57 percent (US $ 226 bn) for clothing. Developed countries accounted for little over one-third of world exports in textiles and clothing. The shares of developed countries in textiles and clothing trade were estimated to be 47 percent (US $ 79 bn) and 29 percent, (US $ 61 bn) respectively. Import Trends in USA In 1990, restrained or MFA countries contributed as much as 87 percent (US $ 29.3 bn) of total US textile and clothing imports, whereas Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI), North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA), Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and ANDEAN countries together contributed 13 percent (US $ 4.4 bn). Thereafter, there has been a decline in exports by restrained countries; the share of preferential regions more than doubled to reach 30 percent (US $ 26.9 bn) of total imports by USA. The composition of imports of clothing and textiles by USA in 2003 was 80 percent (US $ 71 bn) and 20 percent (US $ 18 bn), respectively. Asia was the principal sourcing region for imports of both textiles and clothing by USA. Latin American region stood at second position with a share of 12 percent (US $ 2.2 bn) and 26 percent (US $ 18.5 bn), respectively, for textiles and clothing imports, by USA. In most of the quota products imported by USA, India was one of the leading suppliers of readymade garments in USA. Though China is a biggest competitor, the unit prices of China for most of these product groups were high and thus provide opportunities for Indian business. Import Trends in EU EU overtook USA as the world's largest market for textiles and clothing. Intra-EU trade accounted for about 40 percent (US $ 40 bn) of total clothing imports and 62 percent (US $ 32.5 bn) of total textile imports by EU. Asia dominates EU market in both clothing and textiles, with 30 percent (US $ 30 bn) and 17 percent (US $ 8 bn) share, respectively. Central and East European countries hold a market share of 11 percent (US $ 11.3 bn) in clothing and 7.5 percent (US $ 4 bn) in textiles imports of EU. As regards preferential suppliers, the growth of trade between EU and Mediterranean countries, especially Egypt and Turkey, was highest in 2003. As regards individual countries, China accounted for little over 5 percent (US $ 2.8 bn) of EU's imports of textiles and over 12 percent (US $ 12.4 bn) of clothing imports. In the EU market also, India is a leading supplier for many of the textile products. It is estimated that Turkey would emerge as a biggest competitor for both India and China. However, with regard to unit prices, India appears to be lower than both Turkey and China in many of the categories. Import Trends in Canada Amongst the leading suppliers of textiles and clothing to Canada, USA had the highest share of over 31 percent (US $ 8.4 bn), followed by China (21% - US $ 1.8 bn) and EU (8% - US $ 0.6 bn). India was ranked at fourth position and was ahead of other exporters like Mexico, Bangladesh and Turkey, with a market share of 5.2 percent (US $ 0.45 bn). Potential Gains It may be noted that clothing sector would offer higher gains than the textile sector, in the post MFA regime. Countries like Mexico, CBI countries, many of the African countries emerged as exporters of readymade garments without having much of textile base, utilizing the preferential tariff arrangement under the quota regime. Besides, countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Cambodia emerged as garment exporters due to cost factors, in addition to the quota benefits. It may be said that countries like China, USA, India, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Turkey have resource based advantages in cotton; China, India, Vietnam and Brazil have resource based advantages in silk; Australia, China, New Zealand and India have resource based advantages in wool; China, India, Indonesia, Taiwan, Turkey, USA, Korea and few CIS countries have resource based advantages in manmade fibers. In addition, China, India, Pakistan, USA, Indonesia has capacity based advantages in the textile spinning and weaving. China is cost competitive with regard to manufacture of textured yarn, knitted yarn fabric and woven textured fabric. Brazil is cost competitive with regard to manufacture of woven ring yarn. India is cost competitive with regard to manufacture of ring-yarn, O-E yarn, woven O-E yarn fabric, knitted ring yarn fabric and knitted O-E yarn fabric. According to Werner Management Consultants, USA, the hourly wage costs in textile industry is very high for many of the developed countries. Even in developing economies like Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Turkey and Mauritius, the hourly wage is higher as compared to India, China, Pakistan and Indonesia. From the above analysis, it may be concluded that China, India, Pakistan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Brazil, Indonesia, Turkey and Egypt would emerge as winners in the post quota regime. The market losers in the short term (1-2 years) would include CBI countries, many of the sub-Saharan African countries, Asian countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The market losers in the long term (by 2014) would include high cost producers, like EU, USA, Canada, Mexico, Japan and many east Asian countries. The determinants of increase / decrease in market share in the medium term would however depend upon the cost, quality and timely Review of Indian Textiles and Clothing Industry The textiles and garments industry is one of the largest and most prominent sectors of Indian economy, in terms of output, foreign exchange earnings and employment generation. Indian textile industry is multi-fiber based, using delivery. In the long run, there are possibilities of contraction in intra-EU trade in textile and garments, reduction of market share of Turkey in EU and market share of Mexico and Canada in USA, and thus provide more opportunities for developing countries like India. It is estimated that in the short term, both China and India would gain additional market share proportionate to their current market share. In the medium term, however, India and China would have a cumulative market share of 50 percent, in both textiles and garment imports by USA. It is estimated that India would have a market share of 13.5 percent in textiles and 8 percent in garments in the USA market. With regard to EU, it is estimated that the benefits are mainly in the garments sector, with China taking a major share of 30 percent and India gaining a market share of 8 percent. The potential gain in the textile sector is limited in the EU market considering the proposed further enlargement of EU. It is estimated that India would have a market share of 8 percent in EU textiles market as against the China's market share of 12 percent. Review of Indian textiles and Clothing Industry The textiles and garments industry is one of the largest and most prominent sectors of Indian economy, in terms of output, foreign exchange earnings and employment generation. Indian textile industry is multi-fiber based, using cotton, jute, wool, silk and mane made and synthetic fibers. In the spinning segment, India has an installed capacity of around 40 million spindles (23% of world), 0.5 million rotors (6% of world). In the weaving segment, India is equipped with 1.80 million shuttle looms (45% of world), 0.02 million shuttle less looms (3% of world) and 3.90 million handlooms (85% of world). The organised mill (spinning) sector recorded a significant growth during the last decade, with the number of spinning mills increasing from 873 to 1564 by end March 2004. The organised sector accounts for production of almost all of spun yarn, but only around 4 percent of total fabric production. In other words, there are little over 200 composite mills in India leaving the production of fabric and processing to the decentralised small weaving and processing firms. The Indian apparel sector is estimated to have over 25000 domestic manufacturers, 48000 fabricators and around 4000 manufacturer-exporters. Cotton apparel accounts for the majority of Indian apparel exports. Textiles and Garments Exports from India The share of textiles and garments exports in India's total exports in the year 2003-04 stood at about 20 percent, amounting to US $ 12.5 billion. The quota countries, USA, EU and Canada accounted for nearly 70 percent of India's garments exports and 44 percent of India's textile exports. Amongst non-quota countries, UAE is the largest market for Indian textiles and garments; UAE accounted for 7 percent of India's total textile exports and 10 percent of India's garments exports. In terms of products, cotton yarn, fabrics and made-ups are the leading export items in the textile category. In the clothing category, the major item of exports was cotton readymade garments and accessories. However, in terms of share in total imports by EU and USA from India, these products hold relatively lesser share than products made of other fibers, thus showing the restrain in this category. Critical Factors that Need Attention Though India is one of the major producers of cotton yarn and fabric, the productivity of cotton as measured by yield has been found to be lower than many countries. The level of productivity in China, Turkey and Brazil is over 1 tonne / ha., while in India it is only about 0.3 tonne / ha. In the manmade fiber sector, India is ranked at fifth position in terms of capacity. However, the capacity and technology infusion in this sector need to be further enhanced in view of the changing fiber consumption in the world. It may be mentioned that the share of cotton in world fiber demand declined from around 50 percent (14.7 mn tons) in 1982 to around 38 percent (20.12 mn tons) in 2003, while the share of manmade fiber has increased from 44 percent (13.10 mn tons) to around 60 percent (31.76 mn tons) over the same period. Apart from low cost labour, other factors that are having impact on final consumer cost are relative interest cost, power tariff, structural anomalies and productivity level (affected by technological obsolescence). A study by International Textile Manufacturers Federation revealed high power costs in India as compared to other countries like Brazil, China, Italy, Korea, Turkey and USA. Percentage share of power in total cost of production in spinning, weaving and knitting of ring and O-E yarn for India ranged from 10 percent to 17 percent, which is also higher than that of countries like Brazil, Korea and China. Percentage share of capital cost in total production cost in India was also higher ranging from 20 percent to 29 percent as compared to a range of 12 to 26 percent in China. In India, very few exporters have gone in for integrated production facility. It is noted that countries that would emerge as globally competitive would have significantly consolidated supply chain. For instance, competitor countries like Korea, China, Turkey, Pakistan and Mexico have a consolidated supply chain. In contrast, apart from spinning, the rest of the activities like weaving, processing, made-ups and garmenting are all found to be fragmented in India. Besides, the level of technology in the Indian weaving sector is low compared to other countries of the world. The share of shuttle less looms to total loomage in India is 1.8% as compared to Indonesia (10%), Bangladesh (10%), Sri Lanka (12%), China (14%) and Mexico (29%). The supply chain in this industry is not only highly fragmented but is beset with bottlenecks that could very well slow down the growth of this sector. As a result the average delivery lead times (from procurement to fabrication and shipment of garments) still takes about 45-60 days. With international lead delivery times coming down to 30-35 days, India needs to cut down the production cycle time substantially to stay in the market. Besides, erratic supply of power and water, availability of adequate road connectivity, inadequacies in port facilities and other export infrastructure have been adversely affecting the competitiveness of Indian textiles sector. Conclusions It is believed the quota regime has frozen the market share, providing export opportunities even for high cost producers. Thus, in the free trade regime, the pattern of imports in the quota countries would undergo changes. The issues that would govern the market share in the post quota regime would eventually be productivity, raw material base, quality, cost of inputs, including labour, design skills and operation of economies of scale. It is believed that quotas, by limiting the supply of goods have kept export prices artificially high. Thus, it is estimated that there would be price war in the post quota regime, with competitive price cuts. The price and quantity effects would depend on the efficiency in production process, supply chain management and the price elasticity of demand. Due to the expected fall in prices, developing countries with high production cost have little choice but to compete head-on with the biggest low cost suppliers. In this process, it is presumed that there would be better resource reallocation in these economies. It is assumed that quota restrictions would continue beyond 2005 in various forms. It is also widely recognized that removal of quota may not directly provide easy and unrestricted access to developed country markets. There would be non-tariff barriers as well. Standards related to health, safety, environment, quality of work life and child labour would gain further momentum in international trade in textiles and clothing. Strategies and Recommendations Cost competitiveness in Indian garments sector has been restrained by limited scale operations, obsolete technology and reservation under SSI policies. While retaining its traditional cost advantages of home grown cotton and low cost labour, India needs to sharpen its competitive edge by lowering the cost of operations through efficient use of production inputs and scale operations. Besides, there are needs for rationalization of charges, levies related to usage of export logistics to remain cost competitive. As fallout to the quota regime, there would be consolidation of production and restriction on supplying countries, which would necessarily mean improved scale operations. Indian players should also integrate to achieve operating leverage and demonstrate high bargaining power. It is reported that Chinese textile firms have already invested heavily to expand and grab huge market share in the quota free world. In India, organised players in this sector would require huge investments to remain competitive in the quota free world. These players need to expand and integrate vertically to achieve scale operations and introduce new technologies. It is estimated that the industry would require Rs. 1.5 trillion (US $ 35 billion) new capital investment in the next ten years (by 2014) to lap the potential export opportunities of US $ 70 billion. It is estimated that USA and EU together would offer a market of US $ 42 billion for Indian textiles and garments in 2014. Technology would play a lead role in the weaving and processing, which would improve quality and productivity levels. Innovations would also be happening in this sector, as many developed countries would innovate new generation machineries that are likely to have low manual interface and power cost. Indian textile industry should also turn into high technology mode to reap the benefits of scale operations and quality. Foreign investments coupled with foreign technology transfer would help the industry to turn into high-tech mode. Internationally, trading in textile and garment sector is concentrated in the hands of large retail firms. Majority of them are looking for few vendors with bulk orders and hence opting for vertically integrated companies. Thus, there is need for integrating the operations in India also, from spinning to garment making, to gain their attention. This would also bring down the turn around time and improve quality. Indian players should also improve upon their soft skills, viz., design capabilities, textile technology, management and negotiating skills. Garment manufacturing business is order driven. It would be difficult for the players to keep the workforce full time, even in lean season. This calls for changes in contract labour laws. Logistics and supply chain would also play a crucial role as timely delivery would be an important requirement for success in international trade. The logistics and supply chain management of Indian textile firms are relatively weak and needs improvement and efficiency. China has already created a world class export infrastructure. Given the volume of projections for exports by India, it may be necessary to create additional export infrastructure, especially investment for modernization of ports. In addition, India needs to invest for creating brand equity, supply chain management and apparel industry education. To sum up, the ability of Indian textile industry to take advantage of quota phase-out would depend upon their ability to enhance overall competitiveness through exploitation of economies of scale in manufacturing and supply chain. The need of the hour therefore is to evolve a well chalked out strategy, aimed at improvement in the levels of productivity and efficiency, quality control, faster product innovation, quick response to changes in consumer preferences and the ability to move up in the value chain by building brand names and acquiring channels of distribution so as to outweigh the advantages of competitors in the long run. Source: Export-Import Bank of India, India. free pennis enlargement exercise natural pennis enlargement technique free penis enlagement tip buy pnis enlargement pills enlargment manhattan penile do penis enlargement pill really work herbal penile enlargement pills permanent penis enlarement

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Everyone wants to live a long healthy life, but few of us know how to go about doing so. Most people think that as they age, getting some type of health problem or disease is inevitable. This is simply not true! All of the major causes of death--cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung disease and injury--can be prevented by the things you do. The major change that you need to make is in your eating habits. The problem is that no matter how health conscience of an eater you are, your body will still lack most of the daily nutrients you need to live a long healthy life. Everywhere you look you will find evidence supporting the fact that it is impractical and virtually impossible to obtain the amounts of nutrients needed for optimal health from food alone. People that take dietary supplements know and understand this. They know that the most needed dietary supplement to take is a multivitamin so that their body can receive a variety of much needed vitamins and minerals. What they don't know is the differences between multivitamins and which ones have the highest potency, balances of nutrients, and the best absorption. Many cheap, low quality grocery-store brands (and many brands available through supplement stores) fail at obtaining high quality ingredients for absorption and potency. With most of these brands, there is a high probability that the vitamin simply passes through your system undigested, or with a low percentage of the nutrients absorbed. First let's get one thing straight: If you are taking vitamins in pill form, then you definitely have not found the most beneficial supplement on the market. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against pill form supplements, it's just that I know that your body will not get all of the nutrients contained in that supplement. Even If you were to buy the highest quality vitamin on the market, the fact remains that your body has to break down that pill to liquid form before it can be digested properly. When your body breaks the pill down, the pill loses its potency and if the pill is of low quality, your body might not break it down at all (in other words the pill goes right through your system without being digested). Even If your body is able to break down the pill you are still only going to receive 10%-20% of the nutrients. That means for every $100 you are spending on nutrients, you are literally flushing about 90% of it down the toilet. Why take your system through the extra step of breaking down a pill when you can purchase a vitamin that is already in liquid form that will bypass the digestive process and go directly into the bloodstream and into the cells within a matter of minutes? I have tried several dietary supplements in liquid form and the Himalayan Goji Juice endorsed by Dr. Earl Mendell is the only all natural liquid vitamin that I can drink without having to chew some gum to get the nasty taste out of my mouth. This Goji Juice has a delicious taste and comes from goji berries with the highest nutrient density. Himalayan Goji Juice is the only liquid on earth that contains all the nutrients you need to increase your energy and strength naturally while treating high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, heart disease kidney disease, and a long list of other health problems. This juice contains four active polysaccharides (phytonutrient compounds) unique to the goji berry that come together to control many of of the body's most important biochemical defense systems, and are of great importance to the smooth functioning of every cell in your entire body. The juice also contains 19 amino acids (including all of the essential ones); More protein than whole wheat; 21 trace minerals including germanium (an anti-cancer trace mineral rarely found in foods); Vitamin C at higher levels than even those found oranges; Vitamin E (rarely found in fruits, only in grains and seeds); B-complex vitamins, necessary for converting food into energy; Essential fatty acids (EFA's), which are required for the body's production of hormones and for the smooth functioning of the brain and nervous system; Beta-Sitosterol, an anti-inflammatory agent (Beta-Sitosterol also lowers cholesterol and has been used to treat sexual impotence and prostate enlargement); and a complete spectrum of antioxidant carotenoids, including beta-carotene (a better source then even carrots) and zeaxanthin (protects the eyes). Goji berries are the richest source of carotenoids of all known foods. If you care about your health and well being, then you want to consume food and nutritional supplements with the highest level of nutrients. Himalayan Goji Juice will give you the nutrients you need to stay healthy and disease free. penile enlargement pills homemade penis enargement vigrx results enlargement free penis pill sample vimax buy penis enlargement pills best penis enlagement surgery free natural penis elargement does penis enlagement work vimax does penis enlargement work

Better and Safer than the "Little Blue Pill" for Male Enhancement? Natural male enhancement products are often regarded with a degree of skepticism - and understandably so. Who would think you can increase size, volume and sexual pleasure by taking a natural pill, with ingredients taken straight form nature? It seems too good to be true. And many times, it is. Some companies make outrageous claims of increasing actual size by inches, and giving you "hours" of sexual stamina. However, there are some definite winners out there that are high quality, safe alternatives to the likes of Pfizer's Viagra or GlaxoSmithKline's Levitra. The "winners" will indeed increase your libido, increase stamina, and also increase the size and volume of a man's aroused penis. Some may scoff at these claims, but all you need to do is a little research to find that these products have made a world of difference in many lives. After all, is it so hard to believe that you can get the same results from a natural product that you can from a prescription medication? Keep in mind, most ingredients in prescription medications originated in nature, albeit they are drastically modified from their natural state, but they are nonetheless derived from nature and then "tinkered with" by science. Some of the typical statements taken from men who have used a quality product may be "it made me feel younger, and made my orgasms last longer and feel more intensely pleasurable", or from a girlfriend of a user "our sex life has improved dramatically, he has strong orgasms and I swear he is bigger in girth and length". These statements are just examples of thousands of typical testimonials to how natural enhancement products have worked for couples and individuals. How Do These Natural Male Enhancement Supplements Work? From a biological standpoint, it has been proven that when a man is more fully aroused, he gains both length, width and girth. These supplements help a man achieve full arousal by increasing blood flow, and hence sensation, which also attributes to the sometimes dramatic change in size. Not only that, the larger surface area provides for more intense pleasure for both the man and woman, since this creates more friction. Friction is the precise mechanism by which both men AND women achieve orgasm. So it only makes sense that increased size and stamina equals increased intensity of sexual climax for both women and men. What Are the Benefits of Natural Male Enhancement Over Prescription Medications? 1.) You do not need a prescription because they are herbal in nature and not currently regulated by prescription and FDA laws. This also means you don't need to visit a doctor, and can get these types of products online discreetly shipped directly to you. 2.) Some of the common side effects of prescription sexual dysfunction or enhancement products are: headaches, flushing, stomach ache, and changes in vision. Also, these medications are to be approached with much caution since they have been linked to heart attacks. 3.) With a natural product, you can be sure you will gain additional benefits from a male enhancement product, due to the ingredients used. Many of the ingredients play dual roles in enhancing sex, as well as providing additional energy and being a natural "youth" remedy. A lot of men report having a renewed sense of vitality and having desires they may not have felt in months or even years. 4.) Cost. Currently even the cheapest online pharmacies Generic male enhancement offerings are around $160 for just 90 tablets. They can cost much more than this depending on where they are purchased. Many people shy away from online medical pharmacies due to their reputation for diluted or inactive products, so this option is not even advisable. As you can see, there are some definite benefits to choosing a natural male enhancer over a prescription one. In the end, the choice is really up to you, and there's no telling how these products can work for you until you actually try them. Decide for yourself which natural product is right for you, and you just may become another success story! magnarx buy penis enlargement pill natural penis enlarement pennis enlargement pic before and after cheap vigrx pill plastic surgery pnis enlargement homemade penile enlargement free penile enlargment video vimax does penis enlargement work

6 Honest Reasons to Write a Book The way I see it, learning how to write a book is not about you struggling with much of anything at all. If you can talk, you can write. So writing a book is not as difficult as you might think. And actually, many experts say that you should write like you speak. Your writing will be more real, instead of some like a thesis or scholarly-like essay. Which do you prefer to read? A personal communication or a thesis? Once you get inspired you might not be able to stop! These reasons for writing a book might just inspire you. I hope they do. 1) Create an image for yourself as an “Expert” in your field. Think about it, when you know that someone has written a book on a subject, whether you read the book or not, don’t you consider that person an expert? I myself am very skeptical, but even I normally will consider the person who wrote the book an expert—until proven otherwise. 2) Another practical reason to write a book is that it’s free publicity. Writing a book is free advertising for your business or your profession! How often have you purchased a product or a service because someone wrote a book about it? This is an obvious point, but possibly not as obvious for some of us. We feel it’s an effort to write a book, but in reality, once you get started, you might find yourself overtaken by a mysterious and wondrous process inspiring you to write and write some more. 3) Writing one Book might lead to writing another If you have ever written anything, you know that once one or more ideas are successfully articulated they can tend to start to multiply: you begin to receive new insights; thoughts seem to just show up and for me, I have found that now that I started writing again, whole new worlds of ideas show up. It’s as if more windows of awareness open in your brain, which is in itself a great reason to write a book. (These next reasons are more emotional and right brain reasons, but they are all the more valuable in the long run to my estimation.) 4) Writing a Book will Create an ability to gain greater awareness. I have found that writing, once you get beyond the procrastination, helps me to become more aware and delve deeper into yourself bringing a greater awareness, as well as an enlargement of your personal reality on the subject. It can even spark an interest in a related subject or topic. 5) You could become a top Authority As your write your book, you will probably do more research on the subject. If it’s really a subject you love and that you already are an expert in, you could become a top authority as you are inspired to do more research and really understand the topic better. 6) Touch other People’s lives If you are like me, then you might find that one of the greatest rewards of writing a book is touching other people’s lives. It might have to do with inspiring them, or helping them solve a problem, or depending on the topic, you might greatly enrich another person’s life and make a real difference in their lives. best elargement exercise penis semenax vig rx penis elargement drug penis elargement drug penile enlargment forum enlargment forum free matter penile size do penis enargement pills work vimax natural penis enlargement and lengthening vimax does penis enlargement work

A dietary supplement is any product that is intended to supplement the diet and that contains at least one of these ingredients: vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, and substances such as enzymes, organ tissues, glandulars, metabolites, or a combination of these ingredients. If you choose to take a dietary supplement, read the supplement label carefully. The label will show how much of a specific vitamin, mineral, botanical, or other is in each dietary supplement. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and its Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition developed regulations for manufacturers in order to help consumers make informed choices when choosing dietary supplements. Manufacturers are responsible for ensuring that their supplements’ facts label and ingredient list are accurate, that the dietary ingredients are safe, and that the content matches the amount declared on the label. Here is the information that must be on a dietary supplement label: A descriptive name of the product stating that it is a supplement. The name and address of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor. A list of each ingredient contained in the product, listed in the order of predominance by common name or proprietary blend. Ingredients not listed on the facts panel must appear in the other ingredient statement beneath the panel. The net contents of the product. The manufacturer’s suggested serving size. There are no rules that limit a serving size or the amount of a nutrient in any form of dietary supplements. Information on nutrients when they are present in significant levels, such as vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, and sodium, and the percentage Daily Value (% DV) where a reference has been established—this is similar to the nutrients listed in the Nutrition Facts panel on food labels. The Daily Value is essentially the same as the DRI (RDA or AI). All other dietary ingredients present in the product, including botanicals and amino acids—those for which no Daily Value has been established. Multiple and Single Nutrient Supplementation When you choose a general multivitamin and multi-mineral supplement, consider those that offer the full nutrient spectrum, the full range of B-complex vitamins, and antioxidants like beta-carotene and vitamins C and E. A good rule of thumb is to look for daily value percentage ranges from 50 to 150 percent. If a multivitamin has some but not enough of the other vitamins, you can take additional doses of those particular single supplements. Typically, a multivitamin cannot hold enough calcium. In addition to this basic multivitamin and mineral supplement, you may want to take single supplements to boost your health for specific conditions. To be sure that you will not be taking excessive amounts over what is already in the basic supplement, subtract the amount in the basic supplement from the larger amount listed for that single supplement. The difference is the amount of the single supplement you need to add. For example, if your basic supplement provides 200 milligrams (mg) of calcium, you would only take 800 mg of single supplement calcium to receive 1,000 mg of calcium daily. Botanicals Common in High-Potency Supplements Common herbal supplements are sometimes found in the formulation of high-potency or a health-benefit specific multivitamin and mineral supplement. Some herbs are used as specifics and are taken for brief periods or only when symptoms are present. Some herbs are used as tonics and are taken long term, sometimes with short breaks in between. For more information on using herbs and their health benefits, read about them from a reliable source and then discuss them with your health practitioner. Become informed! Here are a few common herbs and their unique properties that you may find in your supplements: Ginkgo Biloba (Ginkgo Biloba) is an antioxidant and improves circulation and memory. It may interact with monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors and blood-thinners and may cause gastrointestinal upset and headaches. Ginseng (Panax ginseng, P. quinquefolius) helps increase energy, and is used as a tonic for fatigue and athletic performance. It may worsen the side effects of stimulants, such as caffeine. Some people experience over-stimulation or stomach upset when taking this herb. Avoid this herb if you have high blood pressure, heart palpitations, insomnia, asthma, or a high fever. Siberian Ginseng or Eleuthero (Eleuthero senticosus) helps increase energy and is used as a tonic for fatigue and stress. Its use may increase the effectiveness and side effects of some antibiotics. Saw Palmetto (Sernoa repens) is effective in the treatment of prostate enlargement or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Some people experience stomach upset when taking this herb. Echinacea (Echinacea augustifolia, E. pallida, E. Purpurea) is known for its ability to stimulate the body’s defenses against minor vial and bacterial infections such as colds and the flu. Persons allergic to the pollen of other members of the aster family, such as ragweed, may also be allergic to echinacea. Its use may counteract immune-suppressive drugs. Green Tea Extract (Camellia Sinensis plant extract) has antioxidant properties, particularly the phytochemical epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and is used as a tonic. Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) is considered a liver protector and healer and is used as a liver tonic. Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) has been shown to be effective for premenstrual and menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes. It may cause stomach upset. Pregnant and nursing women should avoid using this herb. Copyright 2006. Mary El-Baz. All rights reserved.