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ABC Celebrates 30th Anniversary of HerbalGramRespected Peer-Reviewed Magazine/Journal Has Stimulated Growth of Herbal Medicine
(AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 12, 2013) In August 2013, the American Botanical Council (ABC) is celebrating the
30th anniversary of its esteemed flagship publication HerbalGram.
Over the course of its three decade-long existence, HerbalGram has
transformed from a simple, one-color newsletter to a full-color, 80-page
magazine/journal hybrid full of beautiful botanical photography and heavily
researched and peer-reviewed articles. The evolution that HerbalGram
has undergone is significant, yet its editorial mission to educate the public
on medicinal and beneficial plants has remained steady.
Three decades ago, in the summer of 1983, ABC Founder and Executive
Director Mark Blumenthal produced the very first HerbalGram,
which was then titled “Herb News” with “Herbalgram” as a subtitle. “Herb News”
was the name of a previous publication that Blumenthal initiated as president
of the now-defunct Herb Trade Association, an organization founded in the 1970s
to focus on the emerging herb industry. Blumenthal, who also was running his
former herb distribution business Sweethardt Herbs, spent his nights and
weekends writing and editing articles for the HerbalGram
newsletter, not yet realizing that one day it would birth an entire
organization to help lead the botanical movement within the United States.
“One of the herb community’s biggest challenges, especially back in the
early 1980s, was credibility,” said Blumenthal. “Herbs were like the Rodney
Dangerfield of medicine; they got no respect. People considered herbs to be
simply ‘folk medicines’ and they were unaware — and, unfortunately, many still are
unaware — of the growing body of scientific and clinical research that supports
many traditional uses, as well as modern applications. Throughout its history,
starting with Rob McCaleb’s ‘Research Reviews,’ HerbalGram has
been a leader in reporting the emerging science on herbs. Today, we see many
publications, blogs, and websites reporting on the latest herbal research, and
for this, we are grateful that what we helped start 30 years ago has gained so
much interest and momentum.”
Originally published with the financial support of the newly formed
American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), of which Blumenthal was a founding
board member, the first HerbalGram was an eight-page,
black-and-white, stapled-at-the-spine newsletter consisting of “herb blurbs” on
herbal scientific happenings, media watch items on herbal-related news
articles, a handful of paragraph-long “Rob’s Research Reviews” authored by then-Associate
Editor Rob McCaleb (who, at the time, was also head of research at Celestial
Seasonings), listings of herbal information resources and schools, and more.
The editorial staff consisted of just Blumenthal, as editor, and McCaleb.
The second issue of the newsletter was published jointly by AHPA and the
Herb Research Foundation (HRF), which was founded that year by McCaleb, as
president, and Blumenthal, as vice-president. Barbara Johnston and Bobbi Close
worked part-time as assistant editors. It now featured the title “Herbalgram”
in larger, predominant font. This issue took on a more defined format, with
organized sections on industry news, conferences/meetings, HRF news, and
“potpourri" — a catch-all section featuring various news of possible
interest to the growing herbal industry and surrounding community. In the years
that followed, HerbalGram underwent many changes that transformed it into
the publication it is today. In 1988, at five years old, HerbalGram (issue
18/19) welcomed color to its pages for the first time with a cover illustration
of St. John’s wort (Hypericum
perforatum) and doubled in size from 24 to 48 pages. That
issue also was the first published by HRF as well as ABC, which Blumenthal
founded that same year with ethnobotanist Jim Duke, PhD, and the late Professor
Norman Farnsworth, PhD, in order to help transition the publication from
newsletter to magazine. In 1992, issue 28 was the first full-glossy, four-color
issue, and featured the first plant photograph to grace the magazine’s cover
(Harvard’s glass flowers). In 1999 came the first perfect-bound issue and an
increase to 82 pages, along with the 32-page ABC book catalog. One year later,
in 2000, issue 50 was the first to be published under ABC’s name alone
(although HRF members still receive HerbalGram as a benefit of membership).
Thirteen years and 50 issues later, HerbalGram has remained a leading
publication for the botanical community. Its staff has grown to include an art
director and four full-time editors, including Blumenthal as editor-in-chief.
In addition to its in-house writers, its articles are authored and peer
reviewed by numerous botanical experts from around the world. HerbalGram and
its monthly electronic version (HerbalEGram) are read by thousands of readers
in more than 81 countries, representing a range of diverse professions, from
research scientists (e.g., pharmacognosists, ethnobotanists, etc.) and health
practitioners (e.g., herbalists, naturopathic physicians, pharmacists,
conventional physicians, etc.) to industry members and government regulators.
“HerbalGram is a unique hybrid periodical blending popular
interpretation of scientific studies on medicinal plants with original
peer-reviewed research,” said ABC Board of Trustees President Steven Foster. “Under
Mark Blumenthal’s steady editorial guidance, the information has always been
cutting-edge and, in a word — reliable. From history to new clinical studies,
reporting on new regulatory and market developments to comprehensive reviews,
and covering the world’s herbs and the world of herbs, no publication has
provided more to all interested stakeholders in every aspect of herbal
medicine. It’s been a remarkable journey.”
“As part of ABC’s public educational mission,” added Blumenthal, “we have
always tried to ensure the accuracy, reliability, and authority of the
information in HerbalGram. It is quite common for us to send a feature
article out to four to five and, sometimes, up to eight or nine expert peer
reviewers to check the facts.”
Starting early, HerbalGram was a leader in presenting extensive literature
reviews on specific herbs, starting with sarsaparilla (Smilax spp.)
in issue 17, then St. John’s wort in issue 18/19, followed by feverfew (Tanacetum
parthenium) in issue 20, valerian (Valeriana officinalis)
in issue 21, and hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) in issue 22 — all
of which were written by herbalist and author Christopher Hobbs, RH (AHG). Some
of these reviews helped establish a scientific basis for the specific health
benefits of each herb and, in other cases, helped clear up some erroneous and
inappropriate marketing claims being made at the time. Issue 39 contained
a 24-page literature review of kava (Piper methysticum) by Yadhu N. Singh,
PhD, and Blumenthal, and issue 40 introduced the American Herbal
Pharmacopoeia’s first-ever monograph (on St. John’s wort). Other literature
reviews included a cover story on the increasingly popular adaptogenic herb Rhodiola
rosea (issue 56) and a cover story on the South African antioxidant
tea rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) in issue 59.
Recent HerbalGram issues have featured significant articles,
such as the 2009 and 2010 feature stories on climate change’s impact on medicinal plants, the rising sales of pet supplements,
and the usage of endangered animal parts in
traditional medicines — all authored by then-Managing Editor Courtney
Cavaliere. Each year, HerbalGram publishes its annual Herb Market Report,
which is widely used and cited by numerous medical and scientific journals and
industry publications and companies. Additional key articles published in
recent issues have included the myth of the unregulated industry;
the history, ethnobotany, and modern uses of Turkish rose (Rosa spp.); FDA’s approval of the second botanical drug, crofelemer; and much more.
In November 2011, HerbalGram became the main outlet for
the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Adulteration Program’s important work. Issue 92 featured the first article in a series of
adulteration pieces, titled “A Brief History of Adulteration of Herbs, Spices, and Botanical Drugs,” written by Foster. In 2012 and 2013, HerbalGram
published four extensively peer-reviewed feature articles on the adulteration
of bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) extract, skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) herb, so-called “grapefruit seed
extract,” and black cohosh (Actaea racemosa syn.
Cimicifuga
racemosa). (All are available for free on ABC’s website.)
In 2012, meanwhile, ABC brought HerbalGram into the digital age by
launching an online page-flip version of the journal that is available on
smartphones, tablets, and computers. According to an ABC press release on the
development, “The flip-formatted HerbalGram creates a stunning visual
display on numerous digital devices. Each issue contains dozens of full-color,
high-quality photographs of botanicals that can now be appreciated on an even
greater scale.”
ABC Board of Trustees member Peggy Brevoort, president of Brevoort, LLC, congratulated
the organization and the many others involved with the magazine “who have had
the perseverance and vision to make it and the entire herbal industry grow into
the respected entities they each are today.
“Thinking back to the first early black-and-white, stapled-together HerbalGram,”
Brevoort continued, “it reminds me so much of a parallel with the evolution and
growth of the entire herbal industry: small, sincere, ready to share the
‘new’/old knowledge about our newly discovered herbal treasures.”
Founding ABC Board of Trustees member Dr. Duke also congratulated HerbalGram on
its momentous birthday. “Here at the Green Farmacy Garden,” said Dr. Duke, “the
garden crew eagerly awaits the arrival of the new issues, always seemingly
improving. Mark Blumenthal and HerbalGram have admirably done a great
job of keeping the quality and rigor of the science in HerbalGram
A#1.”
“I consider HerbalGram the preeminent journal on medicinal herbs,”
said Ed Smith, founder of herbal extract manufacturer Herb Pharm, “and it is
invaluable in my work in the medicinal herb industry and herbal medicine
education. It is both an entertaining magazine and a peer-reviewed academic
journal. I liken it to other prestigious periodicals like Nature,
Scientific
American, and National Geographic.”
Renowned herbalist Rosemary Gladstar noted that she has in her library “one
very long sturdy shelf completely devoted to HerbalGrams.”
“That’s a lot of magazine power filled with an intensive number of articles,
research papers, conference announcements, and arguably the most
comprehensive as well as thoughtfully written tributes to those herbalists
and plant lovers who have passed away during these past 30 years,” said
Gladstar. “To me this history alone makes HerbalGram by
far and away the most outstanding magazine devoted to herbs in the
country, perhaps the world. I simply love this magazine. I love the way it
challenged me to think, presented cutting edge articles on a huge variety of
topics, provided an amazing number of resources, and balanced scientific
research with traditional and empirical wisdom. Congratulations to you
hard-working honey bees that gather the pollen and are so devoted to the
cross-pollination of herbal wisdom!”
The most recent issue of HerbalGram features the annual Herb
Market Report and articles on ABC’s first Chief Science Officer, how to avoid
hiring a “dry lab,” and cannabis (Cannabis spp.) and schizophrenia. The
upcoming issue 100, due out in November, will mark an important milestone for HerbalGram
as well as ABC’s 25th birthday. To commemorate the occasion, the
magazine will feature an additional 16-page signature and a photo essay of
ABC’s historic headquarters in Austin, Texas, shot by HerbalGram
Art Director Matthew Magruder, among other articles.
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