Natural Standard Subscription

I don't know the subscription price but I can say a few things about the database. Bauman College had a subscription for awhile but dropped it due to its being more expensive than was warranted by the limited use it was getting.

I used it a little for information for articles I was writing for the new textbooks, and I found it a bit cumbersome. It's loaded, fully loaded, with information, but an important first point is that this is not a holistic-minded website. It provides grades for efficacy of supplements and herbs based solely on standard research testing results, which unfortunately test these substances the same way they test drugs. So, what you get is a lot of great nutrients and herbs receiving "C" or worse grades. There's also a lot of extraneous information to sift through as you look for information geared toward NC needs. It is, however, very thorough and complete and is excellent at noting common dosages and those used in research.

But, hey, without spending any money at all, you can get an abbreviated but very useful form of the NS database info on the University of Maryland Medical Center website (UMM.com). As far as I can tell, they're using NS as their data source and generating easier to use and understand pages, complete with references, should you want to look up studies. I use this site frequently, along with the Linus Pauling Institute site (lpi.oregonstate.edu) for specific nutrients. That's an excellent site with frequent updates.

Bottom line: If the expense isn't a burden to you, Natural Standard can be very useful. If you need to keep expenses down, there are other means of obtaining the same information.