The American Botanical Council (ABC), the nation’s leading nonprofit
research and education organization regarding herbal medicine, has
recognized four highly deserving scientists and organizations
responsible for significant contributions to contemporary herbal
knowledge and the botanical medicine movement. The awards were
presented at ABC’s 3rd Annual American Botanical Celebration and Awards
Dinner on March 13 in Anaheim, California, in conjunction with Natural
Products Expo West and the Nutracon Conference on recent research on
natural foods and dietary supplements.
The James A. Duke Excellence in Botanical Literature Award for 2008 was presented to Google Book Search, an online tool that has made hundreds of rare botanical texts and materia medicas
available to the general public. Google Book Search is digitizing many
of the world’s old books and presenting them to the public in their
entirety in searchable format. This project’s contributions have
increased the availability and awareness of out-of-print, limited
access, and otherwise rare botanical classics going back to the
1700s—the contents of which have previously been available to only a
few researchers and collectors. This award is named for ABC Co-founder
and Trustee Emeritus James A. Duke, PhD, a botanist who retired after
30 years of employment at the US Department of Agriculture. Dr. Duke
has authored or co-authored hundreds of scientific and popular articles
and over 30 books on ethnobotany, herbal medicine, and related subjects.
“Google Book Search allows instant online access for thousands of
rare and out-of-print books in the botanical field including herbals,
works on Eclectic medicine, and medical botany texts, among others,”
said ABC Trustee Steven Foster. “They are searchable by keywords
online, and you can log in to your own personal Google account and
create your own library, accessible from virtually any computer. It’s a
tremendous research tool.”
The recipient of the Norman R. Farnsworth Excellence in Botanical Research Award
for 2008 is Prof. Hildebert Wagner of the University of Munich, who is
internationally recognized for his work in the field of medicinal plant
research. Dr. Wagner has authored over 800 original scientific and
clinical papers and 30 review articles in peer-reviewed journals, in
addition to several books. He has contributed significantly to the
field of plant immunomodulators (plants with a beneficial effect on the
immune system), particularly through his extensive work with the genus
Echinacea. This award is named for Norman R. Farnsworth, PhD, research
professor of pharmacognosy and senior university scholar at the
University of Illinois at Chicago. Professor Farnsworth is also a
co-founder of ABC and still serves on its Board of Trustees.
In his acceptance letter, read by ABC Trustee Morris Shriftman,
Prof. Wagner recognized his near-50 year relationship with Prof.
Farnsworth. He wrote, “I believe this cooperation has positively
influenced and in some ways promoted the expansion of global research
activity in the field of medicinal plants and phytomedicine [the use of
medicinal plant preparations for health purposes].” He continued, “I am
convinced that the fields of pharmacognosy [the study of medicines of
natural origin] and phytomedicine will make an essential contribution
to the global health care system, by maintaining and expanding the use
of plant-derived phytopreparations as botanicals or
phytopharmaceuticals.”
In addition to the preceding awards, which have been presented annually since 2006, ABC initiated two new awards this year. The Varro E. Tyler Commercial Investment in Phytomedicinal Research Award
was given to Dr. Willmar Schwabe Pharmaceuticals, based in Karlsruhe,
Germany. Schwabe, established in 1866, is universally regarded as one
of the world’s leading manufacturers of phytomedicines and is
responsible for developing numerous clinically-tested botanical
extracts and preparations, most notably the world’s first and most
clinically-tested extract of the leaf of ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba).
Many of the scientific methods and techniques developed and used by
Schwabe during the past century have had a significant influence on
today’s phytopharmaceutical and biochemical research.
Accepting the award on behalf of Schwabe was Rory Mahony, general
manager and chief operating officer of Nature’s Way, a leading herb and
dietary supplement company in Springville, Utah, and a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Schwabe. Mahony told the audience of over 220 academic
and industry leaders at the ABC dinner that Schwabe deeply appreciated
ABC’s recognition of Schwabe’s long-time commitment to scientific and
clinical research on herbs and that in turn, Schwabe recognized ABC’s
strong role in accurately reporting the results of herbal research from
around the world.
ABC Trustee Steven Foster also presented the first ABC Lifetime Achievement Award
to Dr. Shiu-ying Hu, a 100-year-old Chinese botanist. Dr. Hu, the first
Chinese-born woman to receive a doctorate from Harvard University (in
1949), has worked tirelessly throughout her life in studying, compiling
monographs on, and revising the taxonomy of plants in China. She has
authored over 160 scientific papers and numerous books—the most recent
being Food Plants of China in 2005.
“Dr. Hu dedicated her life to improving the life of the Chinese
people through her love of plants, inspired by her parents, who saved
her life in infancy with a Chinese herbal remedy,” said Foster.
“Considered one of China’s leading taxonomists after retiring from
Harvard University, she is one of the leading experts on Chinese food
and medicinal plants. Dr. Hu has inspired generations of Chinese
students and generously supported their education out of her own
salary. An energetic centegenarian and a marvel of vitality, ABC is
delighted to honor Dr. Shiu-ying Hu.”
“People must recognize that the modern herbal medicine movement is
the result of a continuous process of the evolution of culture and
technology, going back thousands of years,” said Mark Blumenthal,
founder and executive director of ABC. “It is vital that we stop to
acknowledge those key people and organizations who have made and are
still making significant contributions to our modern knowledge-base on
the scientifically-documented benefits of herbs and phytomedicines.” |