Pandemic drives huge surge in herbal remedy sales

In early 2020, the world got a crash course in two things: how to bake bread, and how fast a store shelf can go from “fully stocked” to “did a raccoon raid this aisle?” Herbal remedieseverything from elderberry gummies to stress-support capsulesbecame part of many households’ pandemic routine. Some people wanted immune support. Some wanted better sleep. Some just wanted something that felt proactive when life felt like a never-ending group project with no syllabus.

The result: a massive surge in U.S. herbal supplement sales during the first years of COVID-19, followed by a market that has been slowly normalizingwithout fully going back to “before.” This article breaks down what drove the boom, what people bought, what the data shows, and how consumers can think more clearly about herbs in a post-pandemic world.

Why the herbal aisle exploded overnight

1) Uncertainty makes people shop

When a new virus spreads and everyday life becomes a choose-your-own-adventure novel, many people look for control in small, concrete actions. You can’t personally rewrite global public health policy, but you can reorder a bottle of “immune support” capsules at 1:00 a.m. and feel like you did something. That psychological “I’m taking care of myself” moment matterseven if the science behind a given product is complicated.

2) “Immune support” became a household category

Before the pandemic, immune supplements were already a thing. During the pandemic, they became a line itemlike coffee, toothpaste, and batteries. Industry analysts projected that immune-focused supplement sales would surge in 2020, driven by COVID-era demand, and that immune support would take up a meaningful share of overall supplement spending.

3) Stress didn’t just riseit moved in and unpacked

COVID-19 didn’t only spark immune concerns. It also brought remote work, remote school, financial stress, caregiver burnout, and the strange emotional experience of arguing with strangers about masks while wearing pajama pants. That combination pushed interest in herbs marketed for stress, sleep, mood, and “calm”especially adaptogens like ashwagandha and blends positioned as daily wellness tools.

The numbers: a pandemic-era spike, then a market trying to find its new normal

Herbal supplements in the U.S. were on a growth track even before COVID-19. But the pandemic supercharged the categorythen the market cooled and stabilized in a way that looks a lot like a “new baseline.”

According to U.S. retail sales estimates for herbal dietary supplements (across all channels), the trend looks like this:

• 2019: $9.530 billion
• 2020: $11.168 billion (a sharp jump)
• 2021: $12.241 billion (continued growth)
• 2022: $12.018 billion (a modest decline)
• 2023: $12.551 billion (growth returns)

In plain English: the pandemic created an unusually steep climb, followed by a breather, and then a return to growthjust not at the same “panic-buying” pace.

What people actually bought (and why those choices make sense)

Elderberry: the poster child of pandemic “immune support”

If the pandemic-era supplement story had a mascot, it would probably be an elderberry gummy wearing a tiny cape. Elderberry rose to the top of the mainstream retail channel during the first years of COVID-19, reflecting how strongly consumers associated it with seasonal wellness and immune support. In 2021, elderberry ranked as the top-selling herbal supplement ingredient in the U.S. mainstream multi-outlet channel, with sales around $273.7 millionbasically the Super Bowl numbers of the herb world.

Why elderberry? It’s familiar, widely marketed, and easy to take. It also sits at the intersection of folk tradition and modern supplement brandingone part “grandma’s pantry,” one part neon label.

Apple cider vinegar and “kitchen-cabinet wellness”

Some pandemic purchases weren’t about obscure botanicalsthey were about familiar ideas repackaged for convenience. Apple cider vinegar supplements, for example, showed dramatic growth in 2021 in the mainstream channel. This fits a broader theme: consumers gravitated toward products that felt understandable and “everyday,” even when packaged as capsules or gummies.

Ashwagandha and the stress economy

As the pandemic dragged on, “immune support” wasn’t the only story. Stress and sleep concerns helped push adaptogens into the mainstream. Ashwagandha, in particular, saw standout growth. In 2021, mainstream sales of ashwagandha jumped dramatically (up 225.9% from the prior year) to about $92.3 million. That is not subtle growth. That is “this herb needs its own checkout lane” growth.

This doesn’t automatically prove ashwagandha is right for everyonebut it does show how strongly consumers linked pandemic stress with the desire for herbal support.

Digestive and “whole-body” herbs: psyllium, turmeric, ginger

Not every top seller was framed as a COVID product. Some of the biggest herbs are tied to broader health goals: digestion, inflammation support, and heart health. Psyllium (a fiber supplement often used for digestive regularity and cholesterol support) became the top-selling ingredient in the mainstream channel in 2022 and 2023. That shift is a clue that the market began moving from acute pandemic anxiety back toward everyday wellness habits.

Meanwhile, turmeric and ginger continued to hold consumer attentionoften positioned for inflammation support, joint comfort, or general “feel better” routines. The pandemic didn’t invent those trends, but it intensified them by making people think more about long-term health.

How online shopping supercharged the boom

One reason the surge stuck around is simple: buying supplements got easier. During COVID, more consumers became comfortable ordering health products online, and direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands multiplied fast. Industry sales tracking also shows that direct salesincluding major online retailersrepresent a massive piece of the herbal supplement market.

Online shopping changed the rules in three big ways:

• Infinite shelf space: Your local store carries what fits in the building. The internet carries… everything.
• Algorithm-driven discovery: If you buy magnesium once, an online marketplace may decide you’re building a supplement “starter pack.”
• Faster trend cycles: New ingredients can go viral before your aunt finishes texting you the screenshot.

This convenience helped sustain demand beyond the initial 2020 rush and created a long tail of consumers who never went back to buying “only when I’m sick.”

The messy side of demand: misinformation, risky dosing, and “miracle” marketing

Here’s the hard truth: a sales boom doesn’t equal a science boom. During the pandemic, federal agencies repeatedly warned consumers about fraudulent products and unsupported claimsespecially products claiming to prevent, treat, or cure COVID-19. The FDA publicly tracked fraudulent COVID-19 products and issued warning letters to companies making illegal claims, and the FTC took action against marketers pushing unproven “COVID” supplement products.

It’s also important to separate three things that often get blended together in ads:

• Supporting general health (e.g., maintaining adequate nutrition)
• Reducing risk (which may be plausible for some behaviors, but depends on evidence)
• Treating or preventing a specific disease (which requires strong proof and is heavily regulated when it involves drugs)

Even for popular nutrients and supplements, official guidance during COVID often landed on “insufficient evidence” for prevention or treatment, and warned against high-dose self-experimentation. For example, federal health guidance discussed uncertainty around supplements like vitamin D and zinc for COVID outcomes, and emphasized safety concerns and interactionsespecially at higher doses.

Regulation and quality: why “natural” isn’t the same as “risk-free”

In the U.S., dietary supplements are regulated differently than prescription drugs. Unlike drugs, supplements generally don’t go through FDA pre-approval for safety and effectiveness before they hit store shelves. Manufacturers are responsible for product safety and truthful labeling, and regulators often act after problems appear.

That framework isn’t automatically “bad,” but it does mean consumers need to shop with a little more strategyespecially when demand spikes and sketchy products try to ride the trend wave.

A practical checklist for buying herbal supplements wisely

• Be allergic to miracle claims: If a product promises to prevent, treat, or cure COVID-19 (or any serious disease), treat that as a red flag.
• Look for quality signals: Third-party testing programs (such as USP verification or NSF certification) can help confirm what’s in the bottle matches the label.
• Avoid “kitchen sink” blends: More ingredients doesn’t always mean better. It can increase interaction risk and make dosing unclear.
• Watch for interactions: Herbs and nutrients can interact with medications. If you take prescriptions (or have ongoing health conditions), ask a pharmacist or clinician before starting something new.
• Don’t megadose out of fear: “If some is good, more must be better” is a classic human thoughtand a classic way to end up with side effects.

So what did the surge actually meanfor consumers and the market?

The pandemic surge wasn’t just a blip. It accelerated longer-term shifts in American health behavior:

• Wellness became more preventative: People started thinking about health in “maintenance mode,” not only “fix it when broken.”
• Herbs moved closer to mainstream: Ingredients like elderberry and ashwagandha became household names, not niche health-store trivia.
• Shopping went digital: Once consumers got used to online buying, many stayed there.
• Consumers got more label-literate: People learned to compare ingredients, dosages, and claimssometimes skeptically, sometimes obsessively.

At the same time, the market’s post-2021 cooling shows that panic-driven demand doesn’t last forever. As vaccines, better treatments, and clearer public health strategies became available, consumers gradually shifted away from “emergency immunity shopping” toward broader health priorities. Market data suggests the category is continuing to grow, but in a more normalized pattern than the early pandemic spike.

Conclusion: what to take away (besides a suspiciously large collection of gummies)

The pandemic drove a huge surge in herbal remedy sales because it collided three powerful forces: fear, convenience, and the desire to care for ourselves. Some people found comfort in rituals like tea, tinctures, and daily supplements. Others got swept into confusing marketing and misinformation. The real lesson isn’t “herbs are magic” or “herbs are useless.” It’s that herbal products sit in a space where consumer behavior, culture, commerce, and science all overlap.

If you’re going to use herbal remedies, the smartest approach is boring in the best way: choose reputable products, be skeptical of miracle claims, avoid risky dosing, and ask a healthcare professional when you have questionsespecially if you take medications. In a world that still feels unpredictable at times, informed choices are the most reliable form of control.

Experiences from the pandemic-era herbal boom (what it felt like on the ground)

The “first wave” scramble: In the earliest months of COVID-19, many shoppers described the same surreal routine: sanitizer, paper towels, and then a detour to the supplement aisle “just in case.” Some people weren’t even sure what they were buying. They just knew the shelves looked busy and the labels said “immune.” It was less “I have a detailed plan” and more “I’d like a seatbelt for my feelings.”

The elderberry moment: Elderberry became one of those products people recommended the way they recommend a good TV showconfident, enthusiastic, and often based on a mixture of personal habit and secondhand advice. Parents talked about gummies as if they were part of the family’s winter toolkit, right next to tissues and soup. When elderberry products were out of stock, shoppers swapped tips in the aisle and online: “Try a different store,” “look for syrup,” “check the natural foods section.” It wasn’t only a productit was a mini community trend.

Stress support as self-care theater (in a good way): As the pandemic dragged on, “immune support” gradually shared the spotlight with “calm” and “sleep.” People who had never taken a supplement before experimented with nighttime teas, adaptogen blends, and routines that signaled bedtime was still a thingeven if tomorrow’s commute was ten steps to a laptop. The experience wasn’t always about dramatic results. Sometimes it was about structure: a capsule, a cup of tea, a moment of quiet that said, “I’m still a person and not just a walking notification.”

The pharmacist conversations: Many consumers also reported more frequent “quick check” conversations with pharmacists and clinicians: “Can I take this with my blood pressure medication?” “Is this too much zinc?” “Is this legit or just expensive hope?” Those small interactions mattered because they replaced rumor with real guidance. They also revealed a new kind of health literacy: people learned to ask about dosage, interactions, and testingnot just benefits.

Online rabbit holes (and the lessons learned): Buying supplements online introduced people to both convenience and chaos. Shoppers compared reviews, watched influencer videos, and sometimes discovered that the loudest marketing didn’t match the strongest evidence. Some people described a “reset moment” after impulse-buying too many products: they simplified, picked one or two items they could explain in plain English, and stopped chasing every new trend. The experience often ended with a quieter, more sustainable habitsomething like fiber for digestion, or a single stress-support product used occasionally, not a towering collection of bottles that made the kitchen counter look like a tiny vitamin warehouse.

What stuck: For many households, the lasting experience wasn’t a single miracle supplementit was a shift in mindset. The pandemic made people more attentive to sleep, nutrition, exercise, and preventive care, and herbal remedies sometimes became part of that broader picture. The most helpful pandemic-era takeaway might be this: wellness is rarely one product. It’s a set of choicessome herbal, some notthat work better when they’re grounded in evidence, safety, and a little skepticism toward anything promising to fix everything.

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