Active Ingredients
An active ingredient is a component in a product that directly affects the body of humans or animals, either by diagnosing, curing, mitigating, treating, or preventing diseases, or by influencing the body’s structure or functions. In medicine, you might also hear the terms “active pharmaceutical ingredient” (API) or “bulk active.” Sometimes, natural products are referred to as “active substances.” It’s important to note that certain medications may have more than one active ingredient. The traditional term for the active pharmaceutical agent is “pharmacon” or “pharmakon,” which comes from the Greek word “φάρμακον” and originally meant a magical substance or drug.