Arnica, Black Cohosh, and Goldenseal Botanical Adulterants Bulletins Published by ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program

The ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program (BAP) has released three publications in the new series of brief reviews on adulteration of botanicals and botanical ingredients. The documents provide an overview on adulteration of arnica (Arnica montana, Asteraceae) flower, black cohosh (Actaea racemosa, Ranunculaceae) root and rhizome, and goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis, Ranunculaceae) root, and were authored by Wendy Applequist, PhD, Stefan Gafner, PhD, and Michael Tims, PhD, respectively. These Botanical Adulterants Bulletins (BABs) contain general information on the plant species and data on cultivation, harvest, market size, and an extensive review on available data on adulteration. In addition to the BAP staff members Mark Blumenthal, John Cardellina, Steven Foster, Ikhlas Khan, and Roy Upton, a minimum of seven expert reviewers from the herbal medicine community provided input on the contents. The BAP plans to release additional BABs in 2016, with the St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum, Hypericaceae) herb BAB to be released next. As with all publications in the Program, the new BABs are freely accessible on the Program’s website thanks to the underwriting of this initiative by BAP supporters.