ABC: "Botanical Adulterants Monitor" Published by Herb Quality Consortium

AUSTIN, Texas, June 17, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A consortium of nonprofit herbal advocacy and research organizations announces the publication of a new e-newsletter, the "Botanical Adulterants Monitor," the first issue of which is now available here. The publication's purpose is to provide information related to the prevention and detection of herbal adulteration, quality assurance challenges facing the global botanical products community, and the work of the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program, led by the American Botanical Council (ABC), the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP), and the University of Mississippi's National Center for Natural Products Research (NCNPR). 

The ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program was created in 2011 to educate members of the international herbal and dietary supplements industry about botanical ingredient and product adulteration. The program focuses on accidental adulteration that occurs as a result of poor quality control procedures as well as intentional adulteration of plant-based products for financial gain. Now, more than three years since the Program's creation — and with an ever-increasing number of questions from both the media and the general public about the quality of herbal and botanical medicines — the new "Botanical Adulterants Monitor" is the next logical step in the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program's growth.

"The purpose of our Program is primarily educational," said Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of ABC, and founder and director of the Program. "There are numerous publications on new analytical methods, recent regulatory actions, and a wide variety of workshops, seminars, webinars, and other educational resources that relate to botanical ingredient identity, authenticity, and ways that botanical materials and their extracts are accidentally or intentionally adulterated. Such adulteration results in cheapening the end product and reducing the likelihood that consumers will receive the benefits that they are seeking and expecting. The 'Botanical Adulterants Monitor' newsletter is a valuable way for people in the botanical community to be informed about new developments in areas related to ensuring the authenticity of botanical materials used in herbal products."

The editor of the "Botanical Adulterants Monitor" is ABC Chief Science Officer Stefan Gafner, PhD, who joined ABC's staff in 2013. In his introduction to the first issue, Dr. Gafner states, "Our goal for this newsletter is to provide newly available information on issues surrounding accidental and intentional adulteration — and, to a lesser extent, the equally important problem of contamination — as reported by regulatory agencies or in published studies.

"As such," he continues, "this newsletter is intended to be a helpful resource for members of industry, scientists at academic institutions interested in authentication of herbal materials and the detection of adulteration, as well as health professionals, herbalists, and other stakeholders."

Inside each issue of the "Botanical Adulterants Monitor," readers will find news from the Botanical Adulterants Program, recent regulatory activity by the US Food and Drug Administration and/or regulatory agencies in other countries, publications from other organizations, reviews of recently published analytical methods, and additional resources related to detection and prevention of botanical ingredient adulteration. In keeping with ABC's mission to provide the public with reliable, science-based herbal education, as well as the mission of the Botanical Adulterants Program, the newsletter will be free-access and available to all interested parties.

"The 'Botanical Adulterants Monitor' is an excellent vehicle to keep abreast of the latest news, information, and research on issues of interest to savvy consumers, healthcare professionals, researchers, managers, and technicians relative to the Botanical Adulterants Program," said ABC Board of Trustees President Steven Foster.

To receive the "Botanical Adulterants Monitor," members of the public need only visit the ABC website and register to receive the "Monitor" and other communications from the organization.

About the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program
The ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program is a consortium of independent nonprofit organizations whose mission relates to education, scientific research, and quality of botanical dietary ingredients and related plant-derived materials and products. The consortium is endorsed and supported by over 125 natural product industry companies, independent analytical laboratories, professional societies, trade associations, accredited institutions of education in natural medicine, law firms, and others – most of which are involved in the production, supply, manufacture, distribution, marketing, analysis, research, and/or education of herbal dietary ingredients and supplements. The Program has published five extensive articles on adulteration-related topics, all available free-access from the Program's homepage. Companies, organizations, foundations, and/or individuals interested in supporting this program are invited to contact Ms. Denise Meikel, ABC Development Director, at (512) 926-4900, ext. 120, or by email.

Underwriters and Supporters of the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program (as of June 3, 2014)*

*By acknowledging the generous support of these companies and organizations, ABC, AHP, and NCNPR are not endorsing any ingredients or products that may be produced or marketed by them.

About the American Botanical Council
Founded in 1988, the American Botanical Council is a leading international nonprofit organization that addresses research and educational issues regarding botanicals, teas, medicinal plants, essential oils, other therapeutic plant-derived materials, and beneficial fungi. ABC's members and stakeholders include researchers, health professionals, consumers, nonprofit organizations, libraries, universities, herb and cosmetic industry members, and others in more than 80 countries. The organization occupies a historic 2.5-acre site in Austin, Texas, where it publishes the peer-reviewed quarterly journal HerbalGram, the monthly e-publication HerbalEGram, the weekly e-newsletter Herbal News & Events, HerbClips (summaries of scientific and clinical publications), reference books, and other educational materials. ABC also hosts HerbMedPro, a powerful herbal database, covering scientific and clinical publications on more than 250 herbs. ABC also co-produces the "Herbal Insights" segment for Healing Quest, a television series on PBS, and manages the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program, an international consortium of nonprofit and industry trade organizations, analytical laboratories, industry members, and other parties committed to increasing educational information on the quality and authenticity of botanical raw materials, extracts and essential oils in the global marketplace.

ABC is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code. Information: Contact ABC at P.O. Box 144345, Austin, TX 78714-4345, Phone: 512-926-4900. Website: www.herbalgram.org. Contact: Public Relations.

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SOURCE American Botanical Council