ABC’s Blumenthal Receives International Ethnopharmacologist of the Year
Award
Indian Society Recognizes ABC
Founder and Director for Contributions to Science & Industry
AUSTIN, Texas (February 27, 2017) — The Society for Ethnopharmacology-India (SFE-India) has presented its “SFE –
Outstanding International Ethnopharmacologist Award – 2017” to Mark Blumenthal,
founder and executive director of the nonprofit American Botanical Council
(ABC). The award was given to Blumenthal at the annual meeting of the society and
scientific conference in Surat, Gujarat, India, on February 23, 2017. Ethnopharmacology is a branch of ethnobotany and
pharmacology focused on the
traditional knowledge and customs concerning medicinal substances, especially
those of plant origin, and their use in traditional medicine. Ethnopharmacology pertains not only to traditional
ethnobotany, but also to the modern scientific and clinical research
investigating the safety and activity of historically used medicinal
substances, particularly from plants and fungi. It also involves quality
control of these substances as they are used in modern societies (e.g., as
foods, dietary supplements, and/or drugs). “SFE-India is happy to confer the ‘SFE – Outstanding
International Ethnopharmacologist Award – 2017’ to Mark Blumenthal for his
outstanding contributions to the fields of ethnobotany, ethnopharmacology, and medicinal
plant research,” wrote Professor Pulok Mukherjee, PhD, secretary of SFE and director of the School of Natural Product Studies at Jadavpur
University in Kolkata, India. Blumenthal has more
than 45 years of experience in the fields of herb and medicinal plant
education, research, publishing, quality control, regulation, market dynamics,
and related areas. In addition to founding and directing ABC since 1988 and
serving as editor-in-chief of the nonprofit’s peer-reviewed journal HerbalGram, which he launched in 1983, Blumenthal
is the senior editor of three highly regarding reference books on medicinal
plants and co-editor of two additional reference books. He is also editor-in-chief
of ABC’s HerbClip series of summaries and critical reviews of thousands of
clinical studies and other scientific publications on herbs, medicinal plants,
phytomedicines, teas, essential oils, plant-based foods, and fungi. Blumenthal has
been active in the international herb community in the area of quality control
and education on adulteration and fraud in botanical raw materials and extracts
as founder and director of the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program, an
international educational program underwritten or endorsed by more than 180
responsible manufacturers of medicinal plant products, trade associations,
societies of professional researchers and health professionals, analytical
laboratories, university research centers, and other stakeholders. The Program
is a partnership among ABC, the nonprofit American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP),
and the University of Mississippi’s National Center for Natural Products
Research (NCNPR), which is a US Food and Drug Administration Center for
Excellence for the analysis of botanical ingredients used in dietary
supplements.
“I am deeply honored and grateful to receive this award that recognizes the
international impact of the educational efforts of the American Botanical
Council,” said Blumenthal in his acceptance of the award. “With professional,
research, and industry members in over 80 countries, ABC is truly an
international organization.”
“Medicinal plant research and quality control are international; they are not
limited by political borders,” he continued. “Scientists share their
information globally for the highest benefit to all humankind, and I am pleased
that ABC’s educational publications and programs are valued by our professional
colleagues in India, a country with a rich history and tradition of medicinal
plant use and robust modern scientific research.” ABC
Chief Science Officer Stefan Gafner, PhD, added: “Mark Blumenthal has had a
lifelong commitment to promote the responsible use of medicinal plants. The
traditional use of medicinal plants by
various cultures has always been one of his prime interests. Examples include
the ABC-organized ecotours for pharmacists to learn about the “pharmacy of the
rainforest” in Peru, Belize, Costa Rica, and parts of Africa. Mark is only the
fourth recipient of this prestigious award, and I congratulate him for this well-deserved
recognition of his contributions to the field of ethnopharmacology.” Previous recipients of the award include Michael Heinrich, PhD, professor
of pharmacognosy at the University College London; Geoffrey Cordell, PhD, retired
professor emeritus of pharmacognosy at the University of Illinois-Chicago; and
Robert Verpoorte, PhD, professor
emeritus at Leiden University.
About SFE-India The Society for Ethnopharmacology-India, which is
comprised of academicians, researchers, and members of the industry, works to disseminate
knowledge for the promotion of ethnopharmacology and medicinal plants. In
keeping with its mission of “Globalizing local knowledge and localizing global
technologies,” SFE-India strives to provide an environment for
knowledge-sharing among researchers, health care practitioners, and
decision-makers interested in the promotion of ethnopharmacology and medicinal
plants. |