|
|
|
|
Two Leading British Herbal Organizations Endorse Botanical Adulterants Educational Program
150-Year-Old UK Herbal Practitioners Association
and Leading UK Herb Trade Association to Support ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical
Adulterants Program, an International Herbal Quality Control Initiative
(AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 29, 2015) The
National Institute of Medical Herbalists (NIMH) and the British Herbal Medicine
Association (BHMA) have recently endorsed the ABC-AHP-NCNPR
Botanical Adulterants Program, an international consortium of
nonprofit organizations, analytical laboratories, industry members,
professional scientists, and others that advises industry, researchers, health
professionals, and additional communities about the various challenges related
to adulterated herbs and botanical ingredients in commerce.
NIMH, which was founded in 1864 and is “the UK’s leading professional body
representing herbal practitioners,” gave notice of its support in a letter
dated December 15, 2014, from NIMH President Laura Stannard to Mark Blumenthal,
founder and executive director of the nonprofit American
Botanical Council (ABC) and general manager of the
ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program. In the letter, Stannard said of
the decision: “The NIMH is happy to support the Botanical Adulterants Program.
In lending our name to the program we hope that other professional associations
will follow our lead. The adulteration of medicinal plants is an issue of grave
concern for all herbalists and everyone involved in herbal medicine worldwide.”
BHMA, founded in 1964, promotes the advancement of “the science and practice of
herbal medicine in the United Kingdom. It promotes the use of herbal medicinal
products manufactured to pharmaceutical standards to ensure consistently high
quality and effectiveness for the consumer.”
The BHMA’s support for BAP was confirmed on January 7, 2015. In an email to
Blumenthal, BHMA Chairman Dick Middleton, PhD, commented: “The BHMA is
delighted to endorse and support the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants
Program. The principle objectives of the Program are pivotal to the ongoing
development of high-quality herbal health products in the US and related
markets, including the United Kingdom. The core thrust of the program
involving education and training will also lead to the increasing global
availability of high-quality herbal materials to herbal product manufacturers.
This will help to create more robust, high-quality supply chains.”
Adulteration refers to the accidental or intentional substitution or dilution
of a material with an undisclosed or lower-cost ingredient, thereby giving the
consumer a false sense of the value or quality of an ingredient or product
containing such an adulterated ingredient.
The ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program is a coalition of three American
nonprofit groups: ABC, the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP),
and the University of
Mississippi’s National Center for Natural Products Research (NCNPR),
with more than 130 other American and international parties supporting and
cooperating with the Program.
“We are most grateful and encouraged by the strong show of support for our
Program that we have received from our herb colleagues in the United Kingdom,”
said Blumenthal.
“There is a long and robust history
of the rational and responsible use of herbs as a form of selfcare and
healthcare in the UK, going back centuries. Support for our educational efforts
about how to detect adulteration and fraud in the herbal market will not only
help enhance the quality of herb products in the UK, but will provide greatly
welcome added impetus and cooperation to the international educational efforts
of our Program,” Blumenthal added.
NIMH’s endorsement of the
ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program follows similar endorsements made
by other professional organizations, including the International Society for
Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research (known by its German acronym, GA)
and the American Society of Pharmacognosy (ASP), both highly respected
international organizations composed of leading medicinal plant research
experts. The GA and ASP are the two largest organizations of professional
researchers in the field of medicinal plants and drugs of natural origin.
“As people continue to use herbal
medicines, the role of qualified practitioners in supporting them in making
informed decisions is essential. This has never been more important than now
with the ongoing challenge of adulterations of ingredients used in the
products. The endorsement of this program by organizations with the expertise
and reputation of the NIMH and BHMA will only strengthen access to high-quality
herbal medicines globally,” said Michael Smith, ND, member of the World Health
Organization Expert Advisory Panel on Traditional Medicines and the ABC
Advisory Board.
Other endorsements of the Botanical
Adulterants Program by healthcare-oriented organizations include those from the
American Association of Naturopathic Physicians and the Council of Colleges of
Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.
BHMA’s endorsement also follows the
endorsements of other leading trade organizations, both internationally and in
the United States. Internationally, these include the International
Dietary/Food Supplement Trade Alliance (IADSA), the Australian Self Medication
Industry, Complementary Medicines Australia (formerly the Complementary
Healthcare Council), the Australian Tea Tree Oil Association, and, just
recently, Natural Products New Zealand.
In the United States, the trade
associations underwriting the Botanical Adulterants Program include the
Consumer Healthcare Products Association, the Council for Responsible
Nutrition, the Natural Products Association, and the United Natural Products
Alliance.
To date, the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical
Adulterants Program has published five extensively peer-reviewed and referenced
articles on the history of adulteration, the adulteration of the herbs black
cohosh and skullcap, and adulteration of extracts of bilberry fruit and
grapefruit seed. These open-access articles are available on the Program’s
webpage: www.herbalgram.org/adulterants. The Program also publishes a quarterly
newsletter, “The Botanical
Adulterants Monitor,”
that highlights new scientific publications related to botanical authenticity
and analysis to detect possible adulteration, recent regulatory actions, and
Program news. Further, the Program recently released its first in a series of Laboratory Guidance
Documents to help
industry and third-party analytical laboratories determine the most effective
analytical methods for detecting adulteration and authenticating botanical raw
materials and extracts. The first of these was published on skullcap, an herb
subject to documented adulteration. Additional publications from the Program
are scheduled for release in the coming months.
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. The consortium is
headed by three nonprofit groups dealing with education and research on
medicinal herbs and other beneficial plants: the American Botanical Council,
the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia, and the National Center for Natural Products
Research at the University of Mississippi. The program is underwritten or
endorsed by more than 130 natural products industry companies, independent
analytical laboratories, contract research organizations, nonprofit and
professional organizations, trade associations, accredited institutions of
education in natural medicine, law firms, and media companies — which are
involved in the production, supply, manufacture, distribution, marketing,
analysis, research, and/or education of herbal dietary ingredients and
supplements, in the United States and internationally. All publications of the
Program are available free-access on its homepage including the "Botanical
Adulterants Monitor," an e-newsletter that conveys Program news, regulatory updates, and
recent scientific publications related to adulteration, contamination,
identity, and authenticity of botanical raw materials, extracts, and essential
oils. 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 Jan. 29, 2015)*
Financial Underwriters
21st Century Healthcare AdvoCare International L.P. Agilent Technologies, Inc. Aloecorp Inc. Amen Clinics Amway/Nutrilite Health Institute Artemis International, Inc. Aveda Corporation Beachbody, LLC BI Nutraceuticals Bioceuticals Bionorica SE Blackmores Capsugel Cepham, Inc. Chemi Nutra CNCA Health Crila Health dicentra, Inc. Doctor's Best Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps DSM Nutritional Products, Inc. Emerson Ecologics Enzymatic Therapy, Inc. Ethical Naturals, Inc. Eu Yan Sang International EuroMed EuroMedica EuroPharma Flavex Naturextrakte GmbH FoodState/MegaFood Gaia Herbs Gencor Nutrients, Inc. GNC, Inc. Helios Corp. Herb Pharm Herbalife International, Inc. Horphag Research iHerb Indena USA, Inc. Ingredient Identity Linnea Markan Global Enterprises, Inc. Martin Bauer, Inc. MediHerb / Integria Healthcare Metagenics, Inc. Natural Factors Nutritional Products, Inc./Bioclinic Naturals Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Nature's Sunshine Products Nature's Way Naturex, Inc. NBTY, Inc. New Chapter, Inc. The New Frontier Foundation Fund of the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation Ningbo Greenhealth Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Novel Ingredients NOW Foods Nu Skin Enterprises/Pharmanex |
Financial Underwriters (cont'd)
Nutritional Laboratories International Ortho Molecular Products Pacific Nutritional Inc. Paragon Laboratories Pathway International Pty Limited Perrigo Company Pharmatoka SAS Pharmavite, LLC Polyphenolics, Division of Constellation Brands, Inc. Pure Encapsulations Rainbow Light Nutritional Systems Rosenbush and Zimmerman Family Fund RFI Ingredients, LLC Sabinsa Corporation Schwabe North America Shaklee Corp Standard Process, Inc. Thorne Research, Inc. Traditional Medicinals, Inc. Triarco Industries, Inc. Unigen Univera, Inc. Valensa International V.D.F. FutureCeuticals Verdure Sciences Vitamin Shoppe Weil Lifestyle, LLC Whole Foods Market ZMC-USA
Trade Associations
Australian Self Medication Industry Australian Tea Tree Industry Association (Australia) British Herbal Medicine Association (UK) Complementary Medicines Australia (Australia) Consumer Healthcare Products Association (US) Council for Responsible Nutrition (US) International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations (IADSA) Natural Products Association (US) Natural Products New Zealand (NZ) United Natural Products Alliance (US)
Nonprofit/Professional
Associations
American Association of Naturopathic Physicians American Society of Pharmacognosy Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine National Institute of Medical Herbalists Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institute Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research - GA
|
Colleges/Universities
Bastyr University Boucher Institute for Naturopathic Medicine National College of Natural Medicine Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine University of Bridgeport College of Naturopathic Medicine
Third-Party Analytical Laboratories
Alkemist Labs AuthenTechnologies LLC Bent Creek Institute British Columbia Institute of Technology ChromaDex Covance Laboratories Eurofins Scientific Inc. Flora Research Labs NSF International Spectrix Labs Tampa Bay Analytical
Media
Delicious Living Engredea Functional Ingredients Holistic Primary Care Informa Exhibitions US Integrator Blog Media Relations, Inc. Modern Healthcare Practitioner Natural Foods Merchandiser Natural Products INSIDER NewHope360.com Nutraceuticals World NutraingredientsUSA.com Nutrition Business Journal Nutrition Industry Executive Nutritional Outlook Vitamin Retailer WholeFoods Magazine
Law Firms & Regulatory Consultants
Amin Talati & Upadhye, LLC Greenberg Traurig, LLP (James Prochnow) Law Office of Holly Bayne, P.C. Robert Forbes & Associates
Contract Research Organizations
KGK Synergize
Medicus Research
Research Institutes
Korean Ginseng Research
Institute
Shanghai Research Center for
TCM Modernization/Shanghai
Institute of Materia Medica of
the Chinese Academy of
Sciences |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|