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Christie Communications, Inc. Signed as Pro-Bono Agency
(Austin,Texas. February 22, 2007). The use of herbal teas and dietary supplements continues to grow, with over one-third of American adults using herbal dietary supplements.1 In 2005 alone, Americans spent over $4.4 billion on herbs and other botanical remedies2, an estimated $100 million increase over the previous year. The World Health Organization estimates that herbals are the primary source of healthcare treatment for eighty percent of the world’s population in developing countries.3 With such tremendous growth in the herbal movement, The American Botanical Council (ABC), one of the world’s leading herbal authorities, continues to expand its nonprofit educational mission by signing Christie Communications as their pro-bono public relations and marketing agency
“Having worked extensively in the field of dietary supplements, nutraceuticals, natural and organic products, we see the immense impact herbal products have in truly changing people’s lives,” states Gillian Christie, Founder and CEO of Christie Communications. “The work of the American Botanical Council is crucial in helping to find reliable information on natural plant-based materials and products to promote health and wellness, on an individual level, a societal level, and an ecological level. We are proud to have the opportunity to support ABC’s mission and to help expand its influence.”
The American Botanical Council was established in 1988 and is the leading nonprofit, member-based international organization working to educate consumers, healthcare professionals, researchers, educators, industry, government officials, and the media on the safe and effective use of herbs and medicinal plant products like herbal dietary supplements, herbal teas, and phytomedicines (plant-based medicines).
“Our mission of educating the public about the scientifically-documented value of herbs has driven us to be the leader in our category,” says Mark Blumenthal, Founder and Executive Director of ABC. “With the continued growth of the herbal products sectors, ABC has continued to expand to meet the growing demand for reliable information on the responsible use of herbal products. We are grateful and honored to be working with Gillian Christie and her dedicated team at Christie Communications as they have diligently worked for over 14 years to ethically promote the use of high-quality herbal products.”
With the continued growth of ABC, its educational focus regarding the safe and effective use of herbs and botanicals has exceeded just the functionality of the products themselves to the examination of ecological implications, environmental preservation, sustainability and the notion of fair trade, all developing into driving forces in the international market.
According to a report by the Southeast Europe Enterprise Development (SEED) and Corporate Citizenship Facility (CCF), “Consumers are increasingly concerned about the origin of products that they purchase and the way they have been produced…There has been a documented increase in ethical and green consumerism…The success of fair trade has grown considerably in recent years.”4
About the American Botanical Council
The American Botanical Council, a non-profit, member-based, tax-exempt (501(c)3) research and education organization, is located on a historic 2.5 acre site in Austin, Texas where it publishes HerbalGram, a peer-reviewed quarterly journal, and other science-based materials on herbal research, regulation, market trends, and conservation. ABC is also the publisher of The ABC Clinical Guide to Herbs, a continuing education and reference book, which contains extensive monographs on the safety and efficacy of 29 popular herbs. ABC also just published The Identification of Medicinal Plants: A Handbook of Morphology of Botanicals in Commerce, a guide to the macroscopic identification of botanical materials for industry quality control laboratories. More information is available at http://www.herbalgram.org/.
About Christie Communications, Inc.
With its headquarters in Santa Barbara, California, teams in Los Angeles and New York, Christie Communications, Inc. provides full service Organic PR and Marketing™ for clients with ethical products and services to help take their dreams to mainstream. For further information, please visit www.christiecomm.com or contact Alissa Sears at alissa@christiecomm.com or at (805) 969-3744. Christie Communications is located at 1165 Coast Village Rd, Suite M, Santa Barbara, CA 93108.
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1 Rogers G. Herb consumers’ attitudes, preferences profiled in new market study. HerbalGram. 2005;65:60-61. Available at: <http://www.herbalgram.org/herbalgram/articleview.asp?a=2781>.
2 Blumenthal M, Ferrier G, Cavaliere C. Total Sales of Herbal Supplements in United States Show Steady Growth. HerbalGram. 2006;71:64-66. Accessed Feb. 7, 2006. Available at: <http://www.herbalgram.org/herbalgram/articleview.asp?a=3012>.
3 Akerele, O. 1992. Summary of WHO Guidelines for the Assessment of Herbal Medicines. In HerbalGram 28: 13-16.
4 Donnelly R, Helberg U, in cooperation with Flora and Fauna International, UK, and Pecanac D. Balkans Herbal Development Initiative – Phase 1. Final Summary Report – Bosnia and Herzegovina. Environmental and Social Assessment…2003 (http://www2.ifc.org/seed/PDFs/ST_BiH_HDI_Summary_Report_06_2003.pdf )
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