Floral Fluorescence - American Botanical Council

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Herb Profile: Oat • Regenerative Turmeric • Cannabis in ThailandEchinacea & Anxiety • AHPA Turns 40 • Aronia & Metabolic Syndrome

Floral Fluorescence • Herb Profile: O

at • Regenerative Turmeric • Cannabis in Thailand • Echinacea & Anxiety • AH

PA Turns 40 • Aronia & Metabolic Syndrom

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erbalGram

135 Aug – Oct 2022

Number 135Aug – Oct 2022

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.org

Floral Fluorescence

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Founded in 1988, the member-supported American Botanical Council:SERVES members in more than 80 countries worldwide.EDUCATES consumers, health care professionals, researchers, educators, industry, and the media on the safe and effective use of medicinal plants.ADVOCATES responsible herbal production and use.ADVISES the media on emerging herbal science.PROMOTES a healthier world through responsible herbal use.

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The American Botanical Council is the leading nonprofit education and research organization using science-based and traditional information to promote the responsible use of herbal medicine.

American Botanical Council

Mark Blumenthal Founder, Executive Director HerbalGram Editor-in-Chief

Ann Armbrecht, PhD Sustainable Herbs Program

Director

Hannah Bauman HerbalGram Associate Editor

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Mission: Provide education using science-based and traditional information to promote responsible

use of herbal medicine—serving the public, researchers, educators, healthcare professionals, industry,

and media.

We received many positive comments from readers on our pictorial in issue 134 that featured some of our favorite photographs by the late Steven Foster. The beautiful colors of plants are a function of light and optics, and Steven was a master of capturing light around medicinal and aromatic plants with his cameras.

Now, more photos — but of a different type. In this issue, we present the special ultraviolet-induced visible fluorescence (UVIVF) photogra-phy of Craig Burrows, a California-based photographer. Our profound

thanks to Craig for giving us permission to share these compelling and unusual images with you. Thanks, too, to HerbalGram Assistant Editor Connor Yearsley, who initially came across Craig’s alluring photos. Connor has written an introduction that explores the science behind this photographic technique and profiles on 11 plants depicted in Craig’s UVIVF images.

Our hearty congratulations to the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), an herb industry trade association that reached its 40th anniversary in 2022, with acknowledgement to its longtime leader Michael McGuffin for his cultivation and stewardship of this prominent organization. The purpose of any trade association is to promote and protect the economic interests of its members. Over the years, AHPA has grown into a force that takes initiative on many fronts in its members’ interests, and yet, at the same time, keeps in mind the interests of consumers who seek access to safe and reliable plant-based health products. A tip of the hat to our regular contributor Karen Raterman for this comprehensive history of AHPA and explana-tion of its many roles and activities.

We also include reviews of the two books that received ABC’s 2022 James A. Duke Excel-lence in Botanical Literature Award. In the reference/technical category, our congratulations to Professor Il-Moo Chang, a respected ginseng researcher in South Korea, whose book A History of the Korean Ginseng Industry is possibly the most detailed and complete history on this fabled and popular medicinal plant on the Korean peninsula. In the consumer/popular book category, we provide noted ethnobotanist and author Nancy Turner’s review of Professor Cassandra Quave’s ethnobotanical memoir The Plant Hunter: A Scientist’s Quest for Nature’s Next Medi-cines. We believe that both books warrant your attention and should populate your library.

We also note the passing of friends and colleagues who have contributed significantly to the modern medicinal plant movement. This includes British author Barbara Griggs, whose book Green Pharmacy: The History and Evolution of Western Herbal Medicine is probably the most seminal book on this subject. We are grateful that she acknowledged HerbalGram in her second edition.

We reluctantly bid adieu to our good friend Bill Swail, a pharmacist in ABC’s hometown of Austin, Texas, whose chain Peoples Rx set a new standard for “natural pharmacies” in Texas. He was a pioneer in pharmacy compounding and education on the appropriate role of good nutrition and dietary supplements to help maintain robust health.

We also honor herb industry pioneer Ben Zaricor. Back in 1974, when I was first beginning in the wholesale herb business in Austin, my first major supplier of herbal products was Fmali Inc., which was owned by Ben and his wife Louise Veninga. Ben and Louise built a large herb business, were among the first to source herbal ingredients from China when it opened to foreign business, and initiated a historic and successful lawsuit against the US Food and Drug Administration for its restrictive, US-centric interpretation of the “common use in food” provi-sion for determination of GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status for goods. The outcome of this case still has an impact today.

Finally, while we are honoring people who have contributed to our medicinal plant commu-nity, we want to respectfully mention the recent passing of global celebrity Olivia Newton-John, who, along with her husband “Amazon John” Easterling, strongly believed in the heal-ing power of herbs and medicinal plants. Newton-John, who was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992, was deeply committed to supporting scientific research on new plant-based cancer medicines while advocating for environmental stewardship of the Amazon and other areas where medicinal plants grow.

dear reader

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ABC Advisory Board Each issue of HerbalGram is peer reviewed by members of the ABC Advisory Board and other qualified experts before publication.

2 • I S S U E 135 • 2022 • www.herbalgram.org

Donald I. Abrams, MD Professor of Clinical Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

Hamid-Reza Adhami, PhD, PharmD Assistant Professor, Dept. of Pharmacognosy Tehran University of Medical Sciences Tehran, Iran

Bharat (Bart) B. Aggarwal, PhD Founding Director, Inflammation Research Institute, San Diego, CA

Lise Alschuler, ND Naturopathic Specialists, Scottsdale, AZ; Assistant Director of the Fellowship in Integrative Medicine, Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

Cindy K. Angerhofer, PhD Executive Director of Botanical Research, Aveda Minneapolis, MN

Giovanni Appendino, PhD Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy

Wendy L. Applequist, PhD Associate Curator, William L. Brown Center Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO

John Thor Arnason, PhD Professor, Dept. of Biology University of Ottawa Ottawa, ON, Canada

Gary N. Asher, MD, MPH Associate Professor of Family Medicine University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC

Valerie A. Assinewe, PhD NVision Insight Group, Inc. Ottawa, ON, Canada

Joanne Barnes, PhD Associate Professor in Herbal Medicines School of Pharmacy, University of Auckland Auckland, New Zealand

Bruce Barrett, MD, PhD Associate Professor of Family Medicine University of Wisconsin-Madison Medical School Madison, WI

Marilyn Barrett, PhD Pharmacognosy Consulting Service Mill Valley, CA

K. Hüsnü Can Başer, PhD Professor of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Near East University, Nicosia, Northern Cyprus

Rudolf Bauer, PhD Department of Pharmacognosy Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences University of Graz, Graz, Austria

Stacey J. Bell, DSc Nutritional Consultant, Belmont, MA

Bradley C. Bennett, PhD Professor of Biology, Florida International University, Miami, FL

Alan Bensoussan, PhD Director, National Institute of Complementary Medicine, University of Western Sydney Sydney, Australia

Chantal Bergeron, PhD Manager, Disruptive Innovation & Product Development, Personal & Home Care Products, Seventh Generation, Burlington, VT

Joseph M. Betz, PhD Acting Director, Office of Dietary Supplements US National Institutes of Health Rockville, MD

John A. Beutler, PhD Associate Scientist, Molecular Targets Lab National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD

Keith I. Block, MD Medical and Scientific Director, Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment, Skokie, IL

Jeffrey B. Blumberg, PhD, FASN, FACN, CNS-S Professor, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy; Senior Scientist, Antioxidants Research Laboratory, Tufts University Boston, MA

Robert Alan Bonakdar, MD Director of Pain Management Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine La Jolla, CA

Kerry Bone Director, Research and Development Integria Healthcare, Warwick, Australia

Nancy L. Booth, PhD Bethesda, MD

Deni Bown Author & Photographer, Xàbia, Spain

Thomas Brendler Founder/CEO, PlantaPhile Collingswood, NJ

Francis Brinker, ND Author, Tucson, AZ

Donald J. Brown, ND Natural Product Research Consultants Seattle, WA

Paula N. Brown, PhD Director of Applied Research in Biosciences British Columbia Institute of Technology Burnaby, BC, Canada

Veronika Butterweck, PhD Medical Director, Max Zeller Söhne AG Romanshorn, Switzerland

John H. Cardellina II, PhD Reeves Group, Virginia Beach, VA

Thomas J.S. Carlson, MS, MD Associate Adjunct Professor, Dept. of Integrative Biology; Director, Center for Health, Ecology, Biodiversity, & Ethnobiology; Curator of Ethnobotany, University and Jepson Herbaria; University of California, Berkeley, CA

Nadja B. Cech, PhD Patricia A. Sullivan Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC

Il-Moo Chang, PhD Director, Korea-China Collaboration Center for Traditional Oriental Medicine Research; Professor Emeritus, Seoul National University Seoul, Korea

Robert G. Chapman, PhD Chief Operating Officer, Dosecann Inc., Charlottetown, PEI, Canada

Chun-Tao Che, PhD Norman R. Farnsworth Professor of Pharmacognosy, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy, Chicago, IL

Bevin Clare, MS, RH, CNS Interim Program Director of the Masters of Science in Herbal Medicine Program Maryland University of Integrative Health Laurel, MD

Jerry Cott, PhD Senior Pharmacologist (retired) Fulton, MD, and Nicosia, Cyprus

Paul Alan Cox, PhD Executive Director Institute for Ethnomedicine Jackson, WY

Amanda McQuade Crawford Clinical Psychotherapist & Medical Herbalist PhytoHumana (Integrative Health Practice) Ojai, CA

Edward M. Croom, Jr., PhD Adjunct Associate Professor of Pharmacognosy University of Mississippi Oxford, MS

Muriel Cuendet, PhD Associate Professor, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva and the University of Lausanne, Geneva, Switzerland

Alan M. Dattner, MD Founder, HolisticDermatology.com Manhattan and New Rochelle, NY

Wade Davis, PhD BC Leadership Chair in Cultures & Ecosystems at Risk, Professor of Anthropology, & Faculty Associate, Liu Institute for Global Issues University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Steven Dentali, PhD Industry Consultant Dentali Botanical Sciences Redondo Beach, CA

Subhuti Dharmananda, PhD Director, Institute for Traditional Medicine Portland, OR

Hardy Eshbaugh, PhD Professor Emeritus, Miami University Oxford, OH

Trish Flaster, MS Executive Director, Botanical Liaisons, LLC Boulder, CO

Paula M. Gardiner, MD, MPH Assistant Professor, Dept. of Family Medicine Boston University Medical School Boston, MA

Zoë Gardner, PhD Consultant Greenfield, MA

Patricia L. Gerbarg, MD Assistant Clinical Professor in Psychiatry, New York Medical College; Co-Chair of the Caucus on Complementary & Integrative Medicine of the American Psychiatric Association, Kingston, NY

Gabriel I. Giancaspro, PhD Charles Rice Distinguished Scientific Fellow & Head of Compendial Policy, Dept. of Documentary Standards & Compendial Policy United States Pharmacopeia, Rockville, MD

Joe Graedon, MS Author, Syndicated Columnist, Radio Host Durham, NC

Mindy Green, MS Green Scentsations, LLC Boulder, CO

Frank L. Greenway, MD Medical Director and Professor Pennington Biomedical Research Center of the Louisiana State University System Baton Rouge, LA

Joerg Gruenwald, PhD Founder and Chief Scientific Advisor analyze & realize GmbH, Berlin, Germany

Mimi Guarneri, MD, FACC Founder & Director Guarneri Integrative Health La Jolla, CA

De-An Guo, PhD Professor, Shanghai Research Center for TCM Modernization, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Shanghai, China

Ameenah Firdaus Gurib-Fakim, PhD President of Mauritius; Director, Centre for Phytotherapy & Research (CEPHYR) Ltd. Cyber City, Ebene, Mauritius

Bill J. Gurley Jr., PhD Principal Scientist, National Center for Natural Products Research, University of Mississippi Oxford, MS

Charlotte Gyllenhaal, PhD Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pharmacognosy College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago; Research Program Manager, Block Center for Integrative Cancer Care, Skokie, IL

Pierre S. Haddad, PhD Professor of Pharmacology Université de Montréal Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Mary Hardy, MD George Washington Master’s in Integrative Medicine; Wellness Works Valley Village, CA

James Harnly, PhD Research Leader, Food Composition and Methods Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD

Michael Heinrich, Dr. rer. nat. habil. Professor and Cluster Lead, Research Cluster Biodiversity & Medicines, UCL School of Pharmacy London, UK

Freddie Ann Hoffman, MDCEO and Managing Member HeteroGeneity, LLC , Washington, DC

David Hoffmann, BSc, FNIMH Chief Medical Herbalist, Author, and Research Associate, Traditional Medicinals, Inc. Rohnert Park, CA

Tori Hudson, ND Clinical Professor, National University of Natural Medicine, Portland, OR

Maurice M. Iwu, PhD President, Bioresources Development and Conservation Programme Wuse District, Abuja, Nigeria

Holly E. Johnson, PhD Chief Science Officer American Herbal Products Association Silver Spring, MD

Edward Kennelly, PhD Associate Professor and Chair, Dept. of Biological Sciences, Lehman College, City University of New York, Bronx, NY

Ikhlas Khan, PhD Research Professor of Pharmacognosy, Director, National Center for Natural Products Research University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS

Steven King, PhD EVP, Sustainable Supply, Ethnobotanical Research, and IP, Jaguar Health, Inc. San Francisco, CA

Uwe Koetter, PhD Principal and Founder, Dr. Koetter Consulting Services, Uttwil, Switzerland

David J. Kroll, PhD Professor, Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Director, Master's Degree & Certificate Programs, University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences; Aurora, CO

Thomas L. Kurt, MD, MPH Adjunct Professor of Emergency Medicine University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas, TX (Based in Aspen, CO)

Danna J. Leaman, PhD Co-Chair, Medicinal Plant Specialist Group, Species Survival Commission, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Maberly, ON, Canada

Roberta A. Lee, MD Pantano Physician Offices University of Arizona Tucson, AZ

Susan Leopold, PhD Executive Director United Plant Savers East Barre, VT

Martha M. Libster, PhD, MSN, FAAN Founder and Executive Director Self-care Institute Golden Apple Healing Arts Wauwatosa, WI

Douglas “Duffy” MacKay, ND Senior Vice President, Dietary Supplements Consumer Healthcare Products Association Washington, DC

Robin J. Marles, PhD Senior Scientific Advisor, Nutrition Premarket Assessment Division, Bureau of Nutritional Sciences, Health Canada Ottawa, ON, Canada

Rachel Mata, PhD Professor of Pharmacognosy Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico Mexico City, Mexico

Will C. McClatchey, PhD Woodland Valley Meadows Eugene, OR

Joe-Ann McCoy, PhD Plant Physiologist Hendersonville, NC

Dennis J. McKenna, PhD Assistant Professor, Center for Spirituality & Healing, University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN

John McPartland, DO Private Practice Vermont Alternative Medicine, Inc. Middlebury, VT

Mark Messina, PhD, MS President, Nutrition Matters, Inc. Eau Claire, WI

Marc S. Micozzi, MD, PhD Private Practice in Forensic Medicine; Policy Institute for Integrative Medicine Bethesda, MD

Simon Y. Mills Herbal Strategist, Pukka Herbs Keynsham, England

Daniel E. Moerman, PhD William E. Stirton Emeritus Professor of Anthropology, University of Michigan-Dearborn Dearborn, MI

William Morris, PhD, DAOM, LAc President Emeritus, AOMA Graduate School of Integrative Medicine, Austin, TX

Susan Murch, PhD Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Natural Products Chemistry, University of British Columbia-Kelowna, Kelowna, BC, Canada

James Neal-Kababick Founder and Director Flora Research Laboratories, LLC Grants Pass, OR

Nicholas H. Oberlies, PhD Patricia A. Sullivan Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC

Andrea Ottesen, PhD Research Area Coordinator for Metagenomics Division of Microbiology/Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition/FDA; Adjunct Assistant Professor/Plant Sciences and Landscape Architecture/UMD, College Park, MD

Alexander Panossian, PhD Science and Research Director, Europharma USA Green Bay, WI

Guido F. Pauli, PhD, FAPA Professor & Director, PCRPS, Institute for Tuberculosis Research, and Dept. of Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL

Joseph E. Pizzorno, Jr., ND President Emeritus, Bastyr University; Editor, Integrative Medicine: A Clinician's Journal Seattle, WA

Mark J. Plotkin, PhD Co-founder & President, Amazon Conservation Team, Arlington, VA

G.N. Qazi, PhD Vice Chancellor, Hamdard University New Delhi, India

John Rashford, PhD Professor of Anthropology College of Charleston, Charleston, SC

John M. Riddle, PhD Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History, North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC

Eloy Rodriguez, PhD James A. Perkins Endowed Professor, Research Scientist, Ethnobotanical Medicine and Zoopharmacognosy, Cornell University Ithaca, NY

Aviva Romm, MD Boston, MA

Robert Rountree, MD Practitioner, Boulder Wellcare, Inc. Boulder, CO; Chief Medical Officer, Thorne Research, Inc., Summerville, SC

Ethan B. Russo, MD Founder & CEO CReDO Science LLC Vashon, WA

Jerome Sarris, PhD Professor of Integrative Mental Health Deputy Director, NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University Westmead, NSW, Australia

Ric Scalzo Founder, Gaia Herbs, Inc. Brevard, NC

Alexander G. Schauss, PhD, FACN, CFS Senior Research Director & CEO, Natural & Medicinal Products Research, AIBMR Life Sciences, Seattle, WA; Bio5 Institute and College of Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

Paul Schulick Founder, For the Biome LLC; Founder and Formulator, New Chapter, Inc.Brattleboro, VT

Navindra Seeram, PhD Professor and Chair Dept. of Biomedical & Pharmaceutical Sciences University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy Kingston, RI

Victor Sierpina, MD Associate Professor of Family Practice Medicine University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX

James E. Simon, PhD Professor, Director of the Center for New Use Agriculture and Natural Plant Products Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

Ed Smith Co-founder, Herb Pharm Williams, OR

Michael Smith, ND, BPharm Natural Products Consultant Stratford, ON, Canada

S. H. Sohmer, PhD, FLS Faculty Affiliate, George Mason University Fairfax, VA

Paul Stamets, DSc Director of Research, Fungi Laboratories Fungi Perfecti, LLC, Olympia, WA

Natascha Techen, PhD Senior Research Scientist National Center for Natural Products Research University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS

Michael S. Tempesta, PhD Managing Partner and Founder, Phenolics, LLC El Granada, CA

Barbara N. Timmermann, PhD Chairperson-Professor of Medicinal Chemistry University of Kansas Lawrence, KS

Michael Tims, PhD Academic Director of Herbal Programs Maryland University of Integrative Health Laurel, MD

Alain Touwaide, PhD Scientific Director, Institute for the Preservation of Medical Traditions Washington, DC

Nancy Turner, PhD Distinguished Professor and Ethnobotanist Environmental Studies Program University of Victoria Victoria, BC, Canada

Roy Upton Executive Director American Herbal Pharmacopoeia Scotts Valley, CA

Alvaro Viljoen, PhD National Research Chair in Phytomedicine Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences Tshwane University of Technology Pretoria, South Africa

John Weeks Publisher-Editor, The Integrator Blog Seattle, WA

Andrew T. Weil, MD Director, Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, University of Arizona Tucson, AZ

Elizabeth Williamson, PhD Professor of Pharmacy and Director of Pharmacy Practice, University of Reading Reading, UK

David Winston, RH (AHG) Director, Herbal Therapeutics Research Library Herbalist & Alchemist, Inc. Washington, NJ

Hans Wohlmuth, PhD Head of Research & Development MediHerb/Integria Healthcare Ballina, NSW, Australia

Jacqueline C. Wootton, MEd Founder and First Director, HerbMed/Pro; Former Director, Alternative Medicine Foundation, North Yorkshire, UK

Peiying Yang, PhD Assistant Professor, Dept. of General Oncology, Section of Integrative Medicine University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center Houston, TX

Eric L. Yarnell, ND Assistant Professor, Bastyr University Kenmore, WA

Zhongzhen Zhao, PhD, MH Associate Dean and Chair Professor Teaching and Research Division Hong Kong Baptist University Hong Kong, China

Published by the American Botanical Council, P.O. Box 144345, Austin, TX 78714-4345

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The Journal of the American Botanical Council


Downy rattlesnake plantain Goodyera pubescens

Photo ©2022 Craig Burrows

1 Dear Reader

6 Herb Profile Oat Avena sativa Family: Poaceae

18 Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program News

BAPP Publishes Laboratory Guidance Document on Indian Frankincense (Boswellia) Oleogum Resin and Extracts

20 Sustainable Herbs Program News

Regenerative Turmeric in Nicaragua: An SHP Case Study on Ethical Trade Partnerships

26 World News Brazil’s National Policy on

Medicinal Plants Prioritizes Citizen Participation and Social Justice

30 Cannabis Update Green Rush: Thai Government

Pledges to Give Away 1 Million Free Cannabis Plants

32 Research Reviews Aronia Berry Extract Alleviates Symp-

toms of Metabolic Syndrome

Echinacea Supplementation May Provide Symptom Relief in Healthy Adults with Mild to Moderate Anxiety

Ginkgo Extract Is Comparable to Done-pezil for Improvement of Cognitive, Behavioral, Psychological, and Global Functions in Alzheimer’s Disease

Saffron Supplementation Improves Liver Function, Depression, Sleep, and Quality of Life in People with Type 2 Diabetes

40 Features Floral Fluorescence: Medicinal

Plants in a New, Ultraviolet Light

The American Herbal Products Association at 40

70 Book Reviews A History of the Korean Ginseng

Industry

The Plant Hunter: A Scientist’s Quest for Nature’s Next Medicines

New Book Profiles

75 In Memoriam Benjamin Reed Zaricor: 1947–2022

William ‘Bill’ Lee Swail: 1942–2022

Barbara Blanche Griggs: 1932–2022

79 Classifieds

80 Food as Medicine Purslane

(Portulaca oleracea, Portulacaceae)

Contributors

Craig Burrows

Lilian Caramel

Pedro Crepaldi Carlessi

Shari Henson

Karen Raterman

Samaara Robbins

Nancy J. Turner, PhD

Gavin Van De Walle, MS, RDN

The Zaricor-Veninga Family

On the CoverChinese ground orchid Bletilla striata

Photo ©2022 Craig Burrows

40 Floral Fluorescence: Medicinal Plants in a New, Ultraviolet LightBy Connor Yearsley UVIVF Photography by Craig Burrows

California-based photographer Craig Burrows uses a technique called ultraviolet-induced visible fluorescence (UVIVF) photography to capture the beauty of plants, including medicinal plants, in a way that humans would not otherwise see them. This process involves using an ultraviolet (UV) light source, which makes the plants glow in the dark, and the effect is like something from “Fantasia” or “Avatar.” Burrows, whose work has been featured in National Geographic, believes the technique creates a sense of wonder and hopes it inspires peoples’ interest in the plant world. HerbalGram is grateful to Burrows for generously providing the UVIVF photographs featured here.

62 The American Herbal Products Association at 40By Karen Raterman

Founded in 1982, the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) is now a leading trade association with members around the world. AHPA has weathered some of the largest challenges the US herb industry has faced, including regulatory issues and government pushback, and given its members access to valuable resources in areas such as product integrity, labeling and marketing guidelines, legislative and regulatory advocacy, and more. The organization has also produced several important books such as the Botanical Safety Handbook and Herbs of Commerce. ABC Guest Contributor Karen Raterman interviewed past and present leaders of the organization to tell the story of how AHPA started, how it has kept going, and what plans it has for the future.


By Hannah Bauman


OatAvena sativa

Family: Poaceae

INTRODUCTION

Avena sativa is a member of the grass (Poaceae) family and an annual with tall, hollow stems that can grow up to 1.2 meters (approximately four feet) in height.1,2 The stems produce flat, bladelike leaves and loosely branched inflo-rescences, or panicles, that produce golden seeds. These seeds, or groats, are the main part of the plant used commer-cially, though the immature seeds and fresh or dried aerial parts are used in medicinal preparations. When unripe, the seeds are referred to as “milky” oats. Ripened seeds are dried and often processed into flakes for human consumption.

H E R B P R O F I L E H E R B P R O F I L E

Oat is native to the Fertile Crescent, an area that spans from Israel to Iran, but it has been naturalized throughout temperate areas of the globe and cultivated for approxi-mately 3,000 years.3 Avena sativa is thought to be descended from a wild ancestor, A. sterilis. It grows well in cool, damp climates but is adaptable and tolerates soil with high salin-ity.4 Avena sativa is one of 25 accepted species in the genus Avena, which includes other species of oat that are not as easily adaptable or cultivated outside of their native regions, including A. byzantina in Turkey, A. strigosa in the western Mediterranean, and A. abyssinica in Ethiopia.3

HISTORY AND CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCEThe name Avena sativa was first published in Swedish

botanist Carl Linnaeus’ Species Plantarum in 1753. “Avena” was the Roman word for the oat plant, while “sativa” means “cultivated.” In Northern Europe, oats were cultivated

widely for both human and animal consumption. However, ancient Romans and Greeks considered oat a weed and used it most often for animal fodder. Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder (ca. 23–79 CE) referred to oats as “the barbaric bread grain of the Germans.”5

Oat was not widely regarded as a medicinal ingredient until the Middle Ages in Europe. As the use of oat spread in traditional Western medicinal practices, both dried and fresh oats were used for a wide variety of conditions, includ-ing anxiety, stress, skin diseases, bladder disorders, blood vessel and lung ailments, and gastrointestinal disorders.1 German physician and botanist Adam Lonicer (1528–1586) wrote in his 1557 herbal treatise Kräuter-Buch that oats were not only nutritious but also useful in poultices, to treat fistulas (abnormal connections between organs or vessels that do not ordinarily connect), and as a diuretic.6 Italian naturalist Pietro Mattioli (also known as Matthiolus; 1501–

Oat Avena sativaPhoto ©2022 Steven Foster Group


H E R B P R O F I L E H E R B P R O F I L E

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1577) recommended oat porridge for constipation and in a poultice or wash for swollen limbs, to clear the complexion, and to treat scabs in children.5

In the modern Western herbal tradition, oats are consid-ered a nervine, relaxant, antispasmodic, antidepressant, demulcent (substance that relieves irritation of mucous membranes), and restorative.7 In the US Eclectic medical tradition of the 19th and early 20th centuries, oats were used, in the words of physician Finley Ellingwood, MD, as a “remedy of great utility in loss of nerve power and in muscular feebleness from lack of nerve force.”8 The German Commission E monographs list oat straw (stems and leaves) as an approved herb for external application in the case of “inflammatory and seborrheic skin disease, especially those with itching.”9 The Commission E also records uses of oat herb “for acute and chronic anxiety, stress and excitation, neurasthenic and pseudoneurasthenic syndromes [condi-tions associated with physical and mental exhaustion], skin diseases, connective tissue deficiencies, weakness of the bladder, and as a tonic and roborant [restorative],” though these claims were not approved uses. In 1995 and later, the Commission E monographs were superseded by the forma-tion of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) as part of the European Union.

Milky oats also have been used, particularly in Indian medicinal practices, as a therapy for opium (derived from the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, Papaveraceae) and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum, Solanaceae) addiction and to ease the symptoms of withdrawal.4 In traditional Persian medicine, oats were used topically for their emollient effects and added to baths, poultices, and creams to soothe inflamed or itchy skin and other skin disorders.10 Accord-ing to a 2015 survey, A. sativa was among the top 12 most commonly identified plants used in folk medicine in north-west Pakistan, where oats are fried in ghee (a type of clari-fied butter) and milk to make a paste that is used as an aphrodisiac and general body tonic.11

Oat ranks sixth in world grain production after other species in other genera in the Poaceae family: corn (Zea mays,), rice (Oryza sativa), wheat (Triticum aestivum), barley (Hordeum vulgare), and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor). However, oat production has increased significantly since the 1990s.12 The top oat-producing countries are Russia, Canada, the United States, and Poland.2 The oat plant, which accumulates calcium, nitrogen, and magnesium, often is used as a cover crop to regenerate soil.13

CURRENT AUTHORIZED USES IN COSMETICS, FOOD, AND MEDICINE

In the United States, oat protein and beta-glucans (also written as “β-glucans”; a type of polysaccharide) derived from oat are Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for general use in foods and, in the case of beta-glucans, as a source of fiber.14,15 As a food product, oat seeds are dried and sold as either whole groats, f lattened into f lakes (rolled oats), or f lattened and pulverized for “instant” oatmeal. Oatmilk, a

decoction of pulverized oat groats in water, is a dairy-free alternative “milk.” Oats can also be used in the grain mash to make beer.

The FDA has allowed products containing three grams or more of beta-glucans from oat, oat bran (the outer layer of the groat), rolled oats, and whole oat f lour to include a health claim that “Soluble fiber from foods such as oat bran, oatmeal, or whole oat f lour, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.”16 Additionally, colloidal oatmeal (oat grains ground to a fine powder) prepared to the standards set by the United States Pharmacopeia is approved as an ingredi-ent in over-the-counter products that can claim that they temporarily protect and help relieve minor skin irritation and itching due to rashes, eczema, poison ivy (Toxicoden-dron spp., Anacardiaceae), poison oak (T. diversilobum), poison sumac (T. vernix), or insect bites.17

In Canada, oat seed, oat seed bran, oat seed oil, oat grass (herb), oat sprout extracts, and colloidal oatmeal are regulated medicinal ingredients that are licensed natural health products (NHPs), which require pre-marketing authorization from the Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate (NNHPD). Oat seed extract product uses include as headache relief, a nervine/calm-ative, and a “source of antioxidants/provide antioxidants that help fight against free radicals,” while colloidal oatmeal is indicated for the relief of minor skin irritation and itching due to rashes, eczema, poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac, insect bites, and dry, itchy skin.18-20

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) allows foods with oat ingredients to use the health claim that “Oat grain fiber contributes to an increase in faecal bulk.”21 Foods containing at least four grams of oat-derived beta-glucans per 30 grams of carbohydrates can use this claim: “Consumption of β-glucans from oats as part of a meal contributes to the reduction of the blood glucose rise after that meal.” The EFSA also concluded that “oat beta-glucan has been shown to lower/reduce blood cholesterol. Blood cholesterol lowering may reduce the risk of (coronary) heart disease.”22

The EMA’s Committee on Herbal Medicinal Prod-ucts (HMPC) has monographs for “Avenae herbae” (oat herb/oat straw) and “Avenae fructus” (oat grain). For oat grain, the HMPC concluded that it is a “traditional herbal medicinal product for the symptomatic treatment of minor inflammations of the skin (such as sunburn)” and “an aid in healing of minor wounds,” while oat herb preparations are a “traditional herbal medicinal product for relief of mild symptoms of mental stress and to aid sleep.”23,24

MODERN RESEARCHMuch of the current literature on oat focuses on

oat-derived beta-glucans and oat fiber on cardiovascu-lar health markers and the topical use of oat extract in cosmetics. Extracts of milky oat have also been investi-gated based on their traditional use as a nervine (Table 1).

Table 1. Selected Clinical Studies of OatPublication Study Design Interventions OutcomesMartinez-Horta et al (2021)34

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study investigating the acute effects of a proprietary green oat extract (Neuravena®; Frutarom; Haifa, Israel) on processing speed, attention, performance-monitoring, and inhibitory control in healthy adults (N=20) and neurophysiological measures.

Participants received either 800 mg of Neuravena or a placebo. Neurophysiological and task perfor-mance assessments were performed at baseline and one hour after administration.

Participants in the active group performed faster and more accurately after supplementation compared to baseline, while neurophysiological measures were reduced indicating optimiza-tion of neural resources. No neurophysiological differences were found in the placebo group after supplementation, and reaction time and accuracy in this group declined compared to baseline.

Xu et al (2021)37 Randomized, controlled trial compared the effects of oat supplementation with rice supplementation in adults (N=62) with mild hypercholesterolemia.

Participants added either 80 g of oats (containing 3 g beta-glucans) or 80 g of rice daily for 45 days. Fasting blood samples were collected at baseline and at days 22 and 45.

Participants in the oat group reported signifi-cantly decreased TC and LDL cholesterol levels compared to those in the rice group.

Kennedy et al (2020)35

Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled parallel trial evaluating acute and long-term supplementation with multiple doses of proprietary green oat extract (cognitaven®; Anklam Extrakt GmbH; Anklam, Germany) on cognitive function and mood in healthy adults (N=132).

Participants received either 430 mg, 860 mg, or 1,290 mg cognitaven or placebo for 29 days. Assessments were taken during a laboratory stress test pre-dose and at 2 h and 4 h post-dose on the first and last days of supplementation.

A single dose of 1,290 mg and supplementation for four weeks with both 430 mg and 1,290 mg resulted in significantly improved performance on a working memory task (multitasking) compared to placebo.

Capone et al (2020)38

Randomized, controlled trial comparing a 1% colloidal oat eczema cream with a standard moisturizer in adults (N=61) with mild to moderate eczema.

Participants applied either the colloidal oatmeal cream or standard moisturizer for 14 days.

At the end of the trial, participants in the oat cream group had reduced Eczema Area Sever-ity Index and Atopic Dermatitis Severity Index scores compared to baseline, and improved skin pH, barrier function, and hydration. Participants who used the standard moisturizer showed improvements in skin hydration only.

Cicero et al (2020)39

Double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized crossover trial studying the effects of beta-glucan supplementation on adults (N=83) with moderate hyper-cholesterolemia.

Participants adhered to the Mediterranean diet and received either 3 g of oat-derived beta-glucans or placebo daily for four weeks, followed by a four-week washout period, and then received the second treatment for four weeks. Participants had follow-up visits two and four weeks after stopping supplementation. Blood samples were drawn before, during, and after all phases of the trial.

Beta-glucan supplementation reduced LDL cholesterol levels by an average of 12.2% and TC levels by an average of 6.5% compared to baseline. Decreases in TC were also significant compared to placebo. After discontinuing treat-ment, TC and LDL levels reverted to baseline values.

Kennedy et al (2017)40

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study investigating single doses of Neuravena on attention, spatial/working/episodic memory, and executive function in healthy older adults (N=42) with self-reported memory decline.

Participants received a single dose of either 800 mg or 1,600 mg Neuravena or placebo on two occasions. Cognitive performance and mood were assessed at baseline and at 1, 2.5, 4, and 6 hours after consumption.

800 mg of Neuravena resulted in faster perfor-mance compared to baseline across all the timed tasks. It was also associated with improved executive function as evidenced by faster perfor-mance in the Peg & Ball test, improved working memory as seen on the Corsi Blocks task during the second visit only, and improved episodic memory.

Li et al (2016)41 Randomized, controlled trial evaluating the short- and long-term effects of oat supplementation vs. no intervention on adults (N=298) who were overweight and diagnosed with type-2 diabetes mellitus.

Participants were randomized into four groups: Group 1 received no intervention; Group 2 received a low-fat, high-fiber diet; Group 3 received the same diet but replaced 50 g of cereal with oats; Group 4 also received the diet but with 100 g of cereal replaced with oats. Participants received 30 days of intervention and a one-year follow-up. Anthropometric, blood glycemic, and lipid variables were measured.

Compared to the healthy diet group, Group 3 had a greater reduction in postprandial plasma glucose (PPG), while Group 4 had larger reduc-tions in PPG, TC, and LDL cholesterol. At the one-year follow-up visit, Group 4 exhibited greater weight reduction and lower triglyceride levels compared to the other groups. Group 1 reported no significant changes in any metric compared to baseline.

Mengeaud et al (2015)42

A multicenter open-label trial inves-tigating the effects of an oat-based emollient cream on children (N=108) with moderate atopic dermatitis (AD).

Children aged six months to six years applied an oat-based emollient cream twice daily for three months. Topical corticosteroids could be used as a rescue medication as needed.

At the end of the trial, AD scores decreased significantly, as did the use of corticosteroids. The treatment was well tolerated.

Thongoun et al (2013)43

Randomized, crossover trial comparing the effects of oat supplementation with rice supplementation in adults (N=24) with hypercholesterolemia.

Participants were divided into two groups: Group 1 consumed 70 g of oat porridge (containing 3 g beta-glucans) daily for four weeks, then switched to 70 g rice porridge daily for four weeks; Group 2 consumed rice first then switched to oatmeal. Blood samples were collected before and after each study period.

With daily oat consumption, TC and LDL choles-terol levels were significantly lower compared to baseline and the levels observed after rice consumption.

H E R B P R O F I L E


Oat groats contain dietary fiber, protein, and other macronutrients; B vitamins such as thiamin; vitamin E in the form of alpha-tocopherol; and minerals such as manga-nese, magnesium, and phosphorous.2 Among cereal grains, oat is notable for having a high protein content, ranging from 15% to 20% of the groat by weight.12 Beta-glucans are a form of soluble dietary fiber that ferments in the colon and aids with carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Intake of oat beta-glucans is associated with reductions in blood pres-sure, postprandial glucose concentrations, and cholesterol levels, which in turn can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Rolled oats contain approximately 4% beta-glucans.2 Other polysaccharides in oat include arabinox-ylan, which also can support blood glucose regulation.25,26

Oat groats also contain avenanthramides, antioxidant phenolic compounds that were first identified in oat. Avenanthramides have been shown to exhibit anti-inflam-matory, antiproliferative, and anti-itching activities in vitro and in vivo. Avenanthramides have potential cancer preven-tive activities and may help with degenerative conditions such as atherosclerosis and osteoporosis.27 Oat contains other polyphenols including apigenin, kaempferol, luteolin, quercetin 3-O-rutinoside, and sinapoylquinic acid.26 These compounds aid in glucose and lipid metabolism and have demonstrated antimicrobial, antioxidant, and neuroprotec-tive activities.

The flavonoid and saponin content of oat groats, includ-ing isoorientin-2’’-O-arabinoside, isovitexin-2’’- O-arabino-side, and avenacosides A and B, also contributes to the anti-inflammatory properties.28 Thirteen triterpenoid saponins have been identified in oat bran, and these saponins are present to varying degrees in commercial oat products.29 Saponins have anticancer, antioxidant, and cholesterol-lowering activities. Oat extracts have exhibited high levels of antifungal and antimicrobial activities, which are attributed to the presence of class I chitinase. Though class I chitinase is present in most cereal grains, oat seed extract contains 10 times more of this compound compared to wheat, barley, and rye (Secale cereale, Poaceae) seed extracts.30

Numerous studies have assessed the effects of oat consumption in a variety of forms, including oat-derived beta-glucans, on cardiovascular health markers, includ-ing cholesterol levels, blood pressure, endothelial function, and vasodilation. Multiple systematic reviews have found that daily oat supplementation is associated with signifi-cant reductions in blood pressure, total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels and enhanced production of nitric oxide, which can aid in the prevention of atherosclerosis.2,31-33 These results were observed in healthy adults as well as adults who had mild to moderate hypertension. Dose, length of intervention, and disease severity impacted outcomes, and daily supple-mentation over a long period of time produced the most significant results in one review.31 In one clinical trial, oat consumption correlated with a greater reduction in body mass of overweight adults compared to placebo. The partic-ipants who consumed oats also showed improvements in hepatic function.2

Preclinical studies have confirmed that oat interacts with neurotransmitters associated with cognition, memory, and motivation. In humans, both milky and dried oat consumption has been associated with antidepressant and antianxiety activity, especially in participants with meno-pause, and a large dose of oat extract improved attention and concentration in older adults.2 Specifically, milky oat has been shown to have a significant inhibitory effect on monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) and phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE-4) enzymes, which can deactivate monoamine neurotransmitters and are implicated in some psychiatric and neurological conditions. These activities may increase dopaminergic availability and cerebral vasodilation.34 Currently, proprietary milky oat extracts are being tested for their effects on cognition and working memory.34,35

Studies on the topical use of oat and oat extracts have shown that these preparations are useful in treating inflammatory conditions including acne, atopic dermati-tis (or atopic eczema), and pruritis (itchy skin). Oatmeal preparations also showed mild protection against skin damage from ultraviolet rays.2 Several compounds in oat have anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory actions that can inhibit prostaglandin production and T-cell proliferation.28

Oat extract was found to improve opioid and tobacco withdrawal symptoms in animal studies.2,36 However, few studies have investigated this use in humans, and the results are mixed. In open, uncontrolled studies, partici-pants who used opium showed a varied response to supple-mentation with milky oat extract, with some ceasing use entirely and some maintaining their current habit; in a study of participants who smoked cigarettes, a slight trend toward smoking cessation was noted, with a stronger effect seen in light smokers than for heavy smokers.2

ADULTERATION AND SUBSTITUTIONThe US Department of Agriculture permits a certain

level of wild oat relatives to be mixed with Avena sativa, as they often can be found growing together. While the monograph for “Common oat for homeopathic prepara-tions” of the French Pharmacopoeia44 lists A. elatior as a potential adulterant, other sources indicate that oat adul-teration occurs very rarely in practice.45

Oats are a popular source of fiber and carbohydrates for those who are gluten-intolerant. Though oats do not naturally contain gluten, many commercial brands are processed in factories where cross-contamination may be present. Brands that process oats in a separate facil-ity often label those products as “gluten-free” to advertise this fact.

SUSTAINABILITY AND FUTURE OUTLOOKAvena sativa is widely cultivated on a global commer-

cial scale and not considered threatened. Wild species of oat, including A. fatua and A. sterilis, are listed under the category of “least concern” according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.46,47



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10. Parvizi MM, Salami MH, Jazani AM, Javaheri R, Jaladat AM, Handjani F. Complementary and integrative remedies in the treatment of chronic pruritus: A review of clinical trials. J Cosmet Dermatol. May 2022. In press. Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jocd.15094. Accessed July 12, 2022.

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14. US Food and Drug Administration. GRN No. 544: β-glucans from oat bran. October 10, 2014. Available at: www.cfsanappsexternal.fda.gov/scripts/fdcc/?set=GRASNotices&id=544&sort=GRN_No&order=DESC&startrow=1&type=basic&search=oat. Accessed August 4, 2022.

15. US Food and Drug Administration. GRN No. 575: Oat protein. April 15, 2015. Available at: www.cfsanappsexter-nal.fda.gov/scripts/fdcc/?set=GRASNotices&id=575&sort=GRN_No&order=DESC&startrow=1&type=basic&search=oat. Accessed August 4, 2022.

16. US Food and Drug Administration. 21CFR §101.81 Final Rule: Food Labeling: Health Claims; Soluble Fiber from Whole Oats and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease. Code of Federal Regulations. Washington, DC: Office of the Federal Register, National Archives Administration; 1997;62(61):15343-15344.

17. US Food and Drug Administration. 21CFR §310, 347, and 352 — Skin Protectant Drug Products for Over-the-Counter Human Use; Final Monograph. Federal Register. 2003;68(107):33362-33381.

18. Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate. Monograph: Antioxidants. Ottawa, ON: Health Canada; August 1, 2017.

19. Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate. Medicated Skin Care Products Monograph. Ottawa, ON: Health Canada; 2018.

20. Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate. Monograph: Cognitive Function Products. Ottawa, ON: Health Canada; March 25, 2019.

21. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies. Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to oat and barley grain fibre and increase in faecal bulk (ID 819, 822) pursuant to Article 13(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. EFSA Journal. 2011 June;9(6):2249.

22. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies. Scientific opinion on the substantiation of a health claim related to oat beta glucan and lowering blood cholesterol and reduced risk of (coronary) heart disease pursuant to Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. EFSA Journal. 2010 Dec;8(12):1885.

23. Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products. Community herbal monograph on Avena sativa L., fructus. London, UK: Euro-pean Medicines Agency; September 4, 2008.

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25. Dapčević-Hadnađev T, Hadnađev M, Pojić M. The Healthy Components of Cereal By-Products and Their Functional Properties. In: Galanakis CM, ed. Sustainable Recovery and Reutilization of Cereal Processing By-Products. Cambridge, UK: Woodhead Publishing; 2018:27-61.

26. Aparicio-Fernández X, Reynoso-Camacho R, Ramos-Gómez M, Mendoza-Sánchez M, Mora O, Pérez-Ramírez IF. Poly-phenols and avenanthramides extracted from oat (Avena sativa L.) grains and sprouts modulate genes involved in glucose and lipid metabolisms in 3T3 L1 adipocytes. J Food Biochem. 2021 June;45(6):e13738.

27. Yu Y, Zhou L, Li X, et all. The progress of nomencla-ture, structure, metabolism, and bioactivities of oat novel phytochemical: Avenanthramides. J Agric Food Chem. 2022 Jan;70(2):446-457.

28. Mandeau A, Aries M-F, Boé J-F, et al. Rhealba® oat plantlet extract: Evidence of protein-free content and assessment of regulatory activity on immune inflammatory mediators. Planta Med. 2011;77(9):900-906.

29. Hu C, Sang S. Triterpenoid saponins in oat bran and their levels in commercial oat products. J Agric Food Chem. 2020;68(23):6381-6389.

30. Sørensen HP, Madsen LS, Petersen J, Andersen JT, Hansen AM, Beck HC. Oat (Avena sativa) seed extract as an antifungal food preservative through the catalytic activity of a highly abundant class I chitinase. Appl Biochem Biotechnol. 2010 Mar;160(6):1573-1584.

31. Yu J, Xia J, Yang C, et al. Effects of oat beta-glucan intake on lipid profiles in hypercholesterolemic adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutrients. 2022 May;14(10):2043.

32. Ho HVT, Sievenpiper JL, Zurbau A, et al. The effect of oat β-glucan on LDL-cholesterol, non-HDL-cholesterol and apoB for CVD risk reduction: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials. Br J Nutr. 2016 Oct;116(8):1369-1382.

33. Othman RA, Moghadasian MH, Jones PJ. Cholesterol-lower-ing effects of oat β-glucan. Nutr Rev. 2011 June;69(6):299-309.

34. Martinez-Horta S, Ivanir E, Perrinjaquet-Moccetti T, Keuter MH, Kulisevsky J. Effects of a green oat herb extract on cogni-


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MediaAlive Publishing GroupDelicious LivingEngredeaHolistic Primary CareIMPACT Health Media, Inc.Informa Exhibitions USIntegrator BlogMedia Relations, Inc.Modern Healthcare PractitionerNatural Foods MerchandiserNatural Medicine JournalNatural Products INSIDERNewhope360.comNutraceuticals WorldNutraingredientsUSA.comNutrition Business JournalNutrition Industry ExecutiveNutritional OutlookVitamin RetailerWholeFoods Magazine

Law Firms & Regulatory ConsultantsAmin Talati Wasserman, LLCGreenberg Traurig, LLP (James Prochnow)Law Office of Holly Bayne, P.C.Robert Forbes & AssociatesSusan Brienza, LLCUllman, Shapiro & Ullman, LLP

Contract Research OrganizationsKGK Synergize

Research InstitutesKorean Ginseng Research InstituteShanghai Research Center for TCM

Modernization/Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica of the Chinese Academy of Sciences


Michael J. Balick, PhD Director and Philecology Curator Institute of Economic Botany New York Botanical Garden Bronx, NY

Josef Brinckmann Research Fellow, Medicinal Plants & Botanical Supply Chain Traditional Medicinals, Inc. Rohnert Park, CA

Christopher Hobbs, PhD, LAc, AHG Research Scientist, Herbalist, Author Davis, CA

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Bernadette P. Marriott, PhD Professor, Department of Medicine MUSC College of Medicine Div. of Gastroenterology and Hepatology & Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Military Division, Charleston, SC

Holly Shimizu Consultant, Writer, and Lecturer Executive Director Emerita, US Botanic Garden; First Curator, The National Herb Garden Glen Echo, MD

Mark Blumenthal (ex officio) Founder & Executive Director American Botanical Council Austin, TX

ABC Board of Trustees

tive performance and neurophysiological activity: A random-ized double-blind placebo-controlled study. Front Neurosci. 2021;15:748188.

35. Kennedy DO, Bonnländer B, Lang SC, et al. Acute and chronic effects of green oat (Avena sativa) extract on cognitive function and mood during a laboratory stressor in healthy adults: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in healthy humans. Nutrients. 2020 May;12(6):1598.

36. Ebrahimie M, Bahmani M, Shirzad H, Rafieian-Kopaei M, Saki K. A review study on the effect of Iranian herbal medicines on opioid withdrawal syndrome. J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2015 Oct; 20(4):302-309.

37. Xu D, Wang S, Feng M, et al. Serum metabolomics reveals underlying mechanisms of cholesterol-lowering effects of oat consumption: A randomized controlled trial in a mildly hypercholesterolemic population. Molecular Nutrition and Food Research. 2021;65(9):e2001059.

38. Capone K, Kirchner F, Klein SL, Tierney NK. Effects of colloi-dal oatmeal topical atopic dermatitis cream on skin microbiome and skin barrier properties. Journal of Drugs in Dermatology. 2020;19(5):524-531.

39. Cicero AFG, Fogacci F, Veronesi M, et al. A randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial to evaluate the medium-term effects of oat fibers on human health: The Beta-glucan Effects on Lipid Profile, Glycemia and inTestinal Health (BELT) study. Nutrients. 2020;12(3):686.

40. Kennedy DO, Jackson PA, Forster J, et al. Acute effects of a wild green-oat (Avena sativa) extract on cognitive function in middle-aged adults: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subjects trial. Nutr Neurosci. 2017;20(2):135-151.

41. Li X, Cai X, Ma X, et al. Short- and long-term effects of wholegrain oat intake on weight management and glucolipid metabolism in overweight type-2 diabetics: A randomized, control [sic] trial. Nutrients. 2016;8(9):549.

42. Mengeaud V, Phulpin C, Bacquey A, Boralevi F, Schmitt AM, Taieb A. An innovative oat-based sterile emollient cream in the maintenance therapy of childhood atopic dermatitis. Pediatric Dermatology. 2015;32(2):208-215.

43. Thongoun P, Pavadhgul P, Bumrungpert A, Satitvipawee P, Harjani Y, Kurilich A. Effect of oat consumption on lipid profiles in hypercholesterolemic adults. Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand. 2013;96(Suppl 5):S25-32.

44. Common oat for homeopathic preparations. In: French Pharma-copoeia. Saint-Denis, France: National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products; 2008.

45. Melzig M, Hiller K, Loew D. Avenae herba. In: Blaschek W, ed. Wichtl – Teedrogen und Phytopharmaka, 6th ed. Stutt-gart, Germany: Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft mbH; 2016:106-108.

46. Rhodes L, Bradley I, Zair W, Maxted N. Avena fatua. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016:e.T172049A19394581. Available at: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T172049A19394581.en. Accessed July 14, 2022.

47. Rhodes L, Bradley I, Zair W, Maxted N. Avena steri-lis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016:e.T172204A19395364. Available at: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T172204A19395364.en. Accessed July 14, 2022.

Herbal Adopters

The American Botanical Council’s Adopt-an-Herb Program provides a mutually beneficial opportunity to support ABC’s nonprofit educational efforts and promote a company’s most important herbs.

One of the benefits of supporting the Adopt-an-Herb Program is that it ensures that the most current information on the adopted herb is available through ABC’s powerful HerbMedProTM database.

HerbMedPro provides online access to abstracts of scientific and clinical publications on more than 250 commonly used medicinal herbs. A free version, HerbMed®, is available to the general public and includes access to adopted herbs. HerbMedPro is available as a member benefit to all ABC members at the Academic Membership level and up.

In addition to ensuring that recently published information on an adopted herb is up to date on HerbMedPro, another benefit adopters enjoy is being included among their peers in each issue of ABC’s acclaimed quarterly, peer-reviewed scientific journal, HerbalGram, on the ABC website, and at scientific, medical, and other educational conferences. Press releases also are issued on new adoptions, bringing attention to the program, the adopted herb, and the adopting company. Each adopted herb is featured on its own page on the ABC website.

Parties interested in taking part in the Adopt-an-Herb Program are invited to contact ABC Development Director Denise Meikel at 512-926-4900, extension 120, or by email at [email protected].

Herbal Adopters

Contact Denise Meikel at 512-926-4900 x120or by email at [email protected]

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Bacopa monnieri

Bacopa

Brassica oleracea Broccoli Group

BroccoliAspalathus linearis

Adansonia digitata

Urtica dioica

Sambucus nigra

Aronia melanocarpa

Asparagus racemosus

Cistus × incanus

Rooibos

Baobab

Stinging Nettle

Elderberry

Black Chokeberry

Shatavari

Rock Rose

Zea maysPurple Corn

Curcuma longaTurmeric Olive

Grape

Olea europaea

Vitis viniferaSceletium tortuosum

Sceletium

Vaccinium macrocarpon

Lepidium meyenii

Rhodiola roseaCranberry

Maca

Rhodiola

Harpagophytum spp.

Devil's Claw

Humulus lupulus

Hops

Withania somnifera

Ashwagandha

Betula spp.

Avena sativa Boswellia serrata Prunus cerasus

Ribes nigrum

Birch

Oat Indian Frankincense Tart Cherry

Black Currant

Aloe vera

Aloe Vera

Saccharomyces cerevisiae

EpiCor® Fermentate

Malpighia spp.

Acerola


Persicaria minor

Kesum

Eurycoma longifolia

Tongkat Ali

Siraitia grosvenorii

Styphnolobium japonicum

Sophora Japonica

Monk Fruit

Arnica montanaArnica

Hibiscus sabdariffa

Rosa canina

Medicago sativa

Hibiscus

Rose Hip

Alfalfa

Andrographis paniculata

Panax notoginseng

Lavandula angustifolia

Erigeron breviscapus

Ficus carica

Andrographis

Notoginseng

Lavender

Lifeflower

Fig

Continued on page 4Ilex guayusa

Guayusa

Peppermint

Asian Holly Oak

Mentha x piperita

Quercus infectoria

Melissa officinalisLemon Balm

Scientific name

Plant nameYOUR LOGO

Ilex paraguariensis

Serenoa repens

Equisetum hyemale

Yerba Maté

Saw Palmetto

Rough Horsetail

Propolis

Ginkgo bilobaGinkgo

Crocus sativusSaffron

Punica granatumPomegranate

Echinacea spp.Echinacea

Milk ThistleSilybum marianum

SennaSenna alexandrina

Panax ginsengAsian Ginseng

Matricaria chamomillaChamomile

NEW ADOPTER!NEW ADOPTER!

Bacopa monnieri

Bacopa

Brassica oleracea Broccoli Group

BroccoliAspalathus linearis

Adansonia digitata

Urtica dioica

Sambucus nigra

Aronia melanocarpa

Asparagus racemosus

Cistus × incanus

Rooibos

Baobab

Stinging Nettle

Elderberry

Black Chokeberry

Shatavari

Rock Rose

Zea maysPurple Corn

Curcuma longaTurmeric Olive

Grape

Olea europaea

Vitis viniferaSceletium tortuosum

Sceletium

Vaccinium macrocarpon

Lepidium meyenii

Rhodiola roseaCranberry

Maca

Rhodiola

Harpagophytum spp.

Devil's Claw

Humulus lupulus

Hops

Withania somnifera

Ashwagandha

Betula spp.

Avena sativa Boswellia serrata Prunus cerasus

Ribes nigrum

Birch

Oat Indian Frankincense Tart Cherry

Black Currant

Aloe vera

Aloe Vera

Saccharomyces cerevisiae

EpiCor® Fermentate

Malpighia spp.

Acerola


Persicaria minor

Kesum

Eurycoma longifolia

Tongkat Ali

Siraitia grosvenorii

Styphnolobium japonicum

Sophora Japonica

Monk Fruit

Arnica montanaArnica

Hibiscus sabdariffa

Rosa canina

Medicago sativa

Hibiscus

Rose Hip

Alfalfa

Andrographis paniculata

Panax notoginseng

Lavandula angustifolia

Erigeron breviscapus

Ficus carica

Andrographis

Notoginseng

Lavender

Lifeflower

Fig

Continued on page 4Ilex guayusa

Guayusa

Peppermint

Asian Holly Oak

Mentha x piperita

Quercus infectoria

Melissa officinalisLemon Balm

Scientific name

Plant nameYOUR LOGO

Ilex paraguariensis

Serenoa repens

Equisetum hyemale

Yerba Maté

Saw Palmetto

Rough Horsetail

Propolis

Ginkgo bilobaGinkgo

Crocus sativusSaffron

Punica granatumPomegranate

Echinacea spp.Echinacea

Milk ThistleSilybum marianum

SennaSenna alexandrina

Panax ginsengAsian Ginseng

Matricaria chamomillaChamomile

NEW ADOPTER!NEW ADOPTER!


BOTANICAL ADULTERANTS PREVENTION PROGRAM NEWSBOTANICAL ADULTERANTS PREVENTION PROGRAM NEWS

BAPP Publishes Laboratory Guidance Document on Indian Frankincense (Boswellia) Oleogum Resin and Extracts

Retail sales of boswellia dietary supplements rapidly increased in the early and mid-2010s in the United States, particularly in the mainstream retail channel, but sales have since leveled off or even decreased. After 2019, boswellia dietary supple-ments dropped out of the 40 top-selling botani-cal ingredients in the mainstream and natural retail channels. In 2021, boswellia retail sales in the United States totaled $8,940,589 in both chan-nels combined.

Published data on boswellia adulteration have focused mainly on the undisclosed admix-ture or substitution with oleogum resins from other Boswellia species, particu-larly B. frereana, B. papy-rifera, and B. sacra. These materials may be used as legitimate substitutes when interchangeable uses are locally accepted. However, they can be considered adul-terants if their inclusion is not disclosed on certificates of analysis or ingredient labels. This sometimes occurs due to local supply shortages or misidentification of B. serrata along the supply chain.

The new LGD was written by Nilüfer Orhan, PhD, an expert in natural products chemistry and analysis, with contributions from Burak Temiz, Hale Gamze Ağalar,

PhD, and Gökalp İşcan, PhD, from Anadolu Univer-sity in Eskişehir, Turkey. It evaluates 46 analyti-cal methods’ suitability to authenticate Boswellia serrata oleogum resin and extracts. The LGD features images of a side-by-side high-perfor-mance thin-layer chromatog-raphy (HPTLC) fingerprint comparison of B. serrata and seven other Boswellia species as well as myrrh (Commiphora myrrha, Burseraceae). These HPTLC images were devel-oped specifically for BAPP’s boswellia LGD. Twenty-four international quality-control experts from academia and the herb industry reviewed the document.

“Because of their morpho-logical and chemical simi-larities, and similar medici-nal uses, a host of oleogum resins were historically traded interchangeably and often without botanical spec-

ificity,” explained Roy Upton, president of the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP). “In more recent decades, Boswellia serrata has emerged as the preferred source of boswellia. This document is perhaps the most detailed English-language review of the differences of these resins and should give any manufacturer that uses a boswellia ingredient clarity of what it has, [and enable them to] perhaps expand specifications to allow for the inter-changeable use of those species that are most similar.”

Stefan Gafner, PhD, chief science offi-cer of the American Botanical Council (ABC) and technical director of BAPP, commented: “Two issues make the authen-tication of Boswellia serrata extracts partic-ularly challenging. Some of the published data on the contents of the purported anti-inflammatory constituents, the boswellic acids, in Boswellia species appear to be based on erroneous species identifica-tion. Therefore, the exact composition of the confounding species can be difficult to determine. Additionally, some of the commercial extracts are processed in a way that alters the relative amounts of the naturally occurring boswellic acids, lead-ing to a proprietary ingredient that has a very different composition than what is found in the oleogum resin. We hope that the information in the new BAPP LGD addresses these and other issues and will be useful to quality-control analysts work-ing with Boswellia serrata-derived ingre-dients.”

The boswellia oleogum resin and extract LGD is the 14th publication in BAPP’s series of LGDs. As with all BAPP publi-cations, the LGDs are freely accessible on the program’s website (registration required).

About the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program

The ABC-AHP-NCNPR (National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi) Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program is an international consortium of nonprofit professional organizations, analytical laboratories, research centers, industry trade associations, industry members, and other parties with interest in herbs and medicinal plants. The program advises industry, researchers, health professionals, government agencies, the media, and the public about vari-ous challenges related to adulterated botanical ingredients in commerce. To date, more than 200 US and interna-tional parties have financially supported or otherwise endorsed the program. BAPP has published 74 extensively peer-reviewed articles, including Botani-cal Adulterants Prevention Bulletins, LGDs, and Botanical Adulterants Monitor e-newsletters.

1

Boswellia serrata - L a b o r a t o r y G u i d a n c e D o c u m e n t • Aug 2022 • www.botanicaladulterants.orgBoswellia serrata - L a b o r a t o r y G u i d a n c e D o c u m e n t • Aug 2022 • www.botanicaladulterants.org

1

By Nilüfer Orhan, PhD,a Burak Temiz,b Hale Gamze Ağalar, PhD,b and Gökalp İşcan, PhDb

aAmerican Botanical Council, PO Box 144345, Austin, TX 78714bDepartment of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Anadolu University, 26470, Eskişehir, Turkey

Correspondence: email

Citation (JAMA style): Orhan N, Temiz B, Ağalar HG, İşcan G. Boswellia serrata oleogum resins and extracts laboratory guidance document. Austin, TX: ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program. 2022.

Keywords: Adulterant, adulteration, Boswellia, Boswellia serrata, Boswellia carteri, Boswellia frereana, Boswellia sacra, Boswellia papyrifera, boswellic acids, Garuga pinnata, Indian frankincense, Indian olibanum, oleogum resin, Pinaceae resins.

1. PurposeBoswellia resins are described in numerous ancient texts and have been an important trade material for the civilizations located in the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa since at least the third millennium BCE. Frankin-cense (olibanum) is an exudate that seeps from injured bark of Boswellia species (Burseraceae). The oleogum resin obtained from Boswellia serrata is called Indian frankincense and is used in the Ayurvedic, Siddha, and Unani systems of traditional medicine. Additionally, its extracts and essential oils are used in soaps, cosmetics, foods, beverages, and incense products. This Laboratory Guidance Document aims to review the analytical methods used to authenticate natural oleogum resin from B. serrata and differentiate it from other Boswellia species, as well as other potential adulterants. This document can be used in conjunction with the B. serrata Botanical Adulterants Prevention Bulletin published by the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program in 2018.1 From a historical perspective, a number of oleogum resins from Boswellia species have been used interchangeably for medicinal purposes around the world, and older “olibanum” pharmacopeial mono-

Boswellia serrata - L a b o r a t o r y G u i d a n c e D o c u m e n t • Aug 2022 • www.botanicaladulterants.org

Boswellia serrata. Photo ©2022 Steven Foster Group

Boswellia serrataOleogum Resins and ExtractsLaboratory Guidance Document

Bulletin focuses on adulteration and substitution of Indian frankincense with resins from related species

By ABC Staff

In August 2022, the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program (BAPP) released a Labo-ratory Guidance Document (LGD) on Indian frankincense (Boswellia serrata, Burseraceae) oleogum resin* and extracts. Indian frankincense has been valued for thousands of years for its fragrance and medicinal properties and is commonly called boswellia in the global botanical industry.

Frankincense Boswellia serrataPhoto ©2022 Matthew Magruder

* An oleogum resin is a naturally occurring mixture of resin (a viscous mixture of terpenes), gum (a viscous exudate composed of polysaccharides), volatile oil, and small amounts of other substances.

SUSTAINABLE HERBS PROGRAM NEWS SUSTAINABLE HERBS PROGRAM NEWS


Founded in 2017, Doselva sources turmeric (Curcuma longa, Zingiberaceae), ginger (Zingiber officinale, Zingiberaceae), vanilla (Vanilla spp., Orchidaceae), and cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum, Zingiberaceae) from about 450 smallholder farmers in Nicaragua and processes this raw material for export at a processing facility in Granada, Nicaragua. Gaia has purchased certified organic turmeric from Doselva since 2020. That same year, Gaia provided a grant to Doselva to develop training materials on regenerative agriculture and agroforestry (the intentional integration of trees and shrubs around or among crops or pastureland to create environmental, economic, and social benefits) for Doselva’s new and growing network of coffee (Coffea spp., Rubiaceae) farmers that were starting to culti-vate turmeric in the understory.

Growing turmeric and other spices alongside these stands of shade-grown coffee offers additional income to small-holders, provides field jobs during the slow season for coffee, and diversified income to coffee farmers to become more resilient in the changing environment.

As Alison said: “The grant was a great foundation for building trust at the beginning of our relationship. While we were qualifying them as a vendor, we were also having conversations about our values. Our conversations were easier and more transparent, and from the outset we focused on the vision rather than just the transaction.”

In March 2022, I joined Stephanie Kane and Chase Mill-hollen, the global sourcing specialist and global sourcing manager, respectively, at Gaia Herbs, on a sourcing visit to Doselva.

Diversifying Farming PracticesJefferson picked us up in his red Toyota truck in front

of the central square in Granada. As he wound through the narrow back streets, dodging pedestrians, horse carts, cars, and motorcycles, he described how he first came to Nicaragua as a Mennonite volunteer just after college. His job then was to interview smallholder farmers. Thirty years later, Jefferson is still working with smallholder Nicaraguan farmers. Though he now works in the private sector, for most of his career he worked for international NGOs, espe-cially Catholic Relief Services, and he has lived in Nicara-gua for the past 23 years.

Jefferson’s work is founded on his belief that market-based solutions offer the best long-term option for helping lift small farmers out of poverty. In addition, like many, he believes that diversifying farming practices in an agro-forestry setting is the best way for farmers to become more resilient in the face of growing climate change.

Leaf Rust in NicaraguaThat first morning, we visited Jefferson’s certified organic

and Bird Friendly® farm about an hour southwest of Granada. (Bird Friendly coffee farms meet rigorous habi-tat standards set by the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.1) He began growing certi-fied Bird Friendly coffee here in 2010, explaining jokingly that he hoped it could allow him to quit his day job. In 2012, he lost about 15% of his harvest from leaf rust (caused

by a fungus, Hemileia vastatrix). He was exporting to Birds and Beans in the United States, and he was unable to fulfill the order.

Leaf rust wasn’t hitting only his farm. That year, coffee leaf rust impacted growers throughout Central America, and over the next two years, it caused more than an esti-mated $1 billion in damage.2 Climate change is bringing drier, hotter weather to Nicaragua, weakening the coffee plants and making them more vulnerable to pests and leaf rust. Recognizing that coffee was not a viable long-term livelihood solution in a changing environment, Jefferson began to diversify his farm by growing vanilla and other spices. This eventually led him to co-found Doselva, as he explains, to “transform the spice trade into a force for social and environmental awareness and change, while … deliver-ing products of the most outstanding quality.”

Agroforestry and Spices for ImpactAs we walked through his farm, Jefferson explained that

Nicaragua is the second-poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and has the highest rate of deforestation in the region. And, he said, agroforestry offers a path for creating harmony between people and the forest.

“In Nicaragua and most of Central America, on the rare occasions when you find communities of people next to standing forests, it is because they are growing shade-grown coffee,” Jefferson wrote on Doselva’s website.3 “Farmers frequently walked me through their coffee forests, these incredible food forests with a four-layered canopy. These places were a haven for birds and other wildlife, and a consistent and sustainable source of food, fuel, fodder, and cash for families. And as I later learned, these systems are also great carbon sinks and a solution to climate change.”

Raw Material PricesThe success of this enterprise depends on Doselva’s

ability to export the raw material at a price that supports these communities. This in turn depends on ensuring that the raw material meets the high quality standards of North American and European companies willing to pay a premium price. Doselva’s turmeric and ginger prices must compete with low prices from India. Part of the challenge is convincing companies that the added costs are worth the value of purchasing raw material from a company that is also committed to addressing social and environmental challenges faced by smallholder farmers in Central America.

Regenerative Turmeric in Nicaragua: An SHP Case Study on Ethical Trade PartnershipsBy Ann Armbrecht, PhD

Through the Sustainable Herbs Program (SHP), I have been working with a select group of companies dedicated to building more ethical and sustainable partnerships with their botanical ingredient suppliers. We are explor-ing how companies can move beyond transactional business partnerships and support community development through a multifaceted approach. Alison Czeczuga, the director of social impact and sustainability at Gaia Herbs, and Jefferson Shriver, the co-founder and CEO of Doselva, a Central American organic spice company, are part of this working group, and their partnership is one of a series of case studies SHP is producing on ethical sourcing.

Freshly harvested turmeric rhizome.Photo ©2022 Ann Armbrecht

Turmeric growing in shade-grown coffee fields in Nicaragua. Photo ©2022 Ann Armbrecht


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Stephanie explained: “One of the reasons we developed this relationship with Doselva is because they were in Central America. Whenever possible, we look to reduce our [carbon footprint] by bringing ingredients closer to our extraction facility in North Carolina. In addition to the environmental reasons, reducing freight from shipping long distances is a benefit that outweighs the higher price.”

Business VisionIn 2017, Jefferson began working with coffee farmers

who were growing certified Fairtrade™ and organic coffee. Many of these farmers were in co-ops formed in the late 1990s (e.g., Nicaragua Tierra Nueva4). These co-ops are well established, with several hundred members and highly developed trade networks, and they export Fairtrade-certi-fied coffee and honey to Europe and North America. These co-ops have offered extensive training programs on topics ranging from agroforestry practices to navigating inter-national quality standards and trading networks. Some of these farmers had already begun growing turmeric for US-based companies and were ready to begin selling raw material to Doselva.

The first phase of Doselva’s business plan has been to establish a processing center to wash, cut, dry, and store this raw material and develop partnerships with companies interested in sourcing certified organic turmeric, ginger, and other spices from a company with a social mission.

These plans include expanding into Honduras to diver-sify the company’s supply networks and manage the compa-ny’s risk. Jefferson and his business partners considered expanding into Costa Rica. “That would be safer [because of the political, economic, and social infrastructure for international trade],” he said, “but the impact would be less. And I’m not doing this work to be safe. I’m doing it to change the world.”

The second phase of the business plan is to improve the social, economic, and environmental conditions in the farming communities. He was open with Stephanie and Chase that this phase is a work in progress. Both Jefferson’s commitment to that broader vision and his acknowledge-ment that it will take a lot of work impressed me. Stepha-nie explained: “Most, if not all, of the turmeric is grown on Fairtrade-certified coffee farms. Turmeric is one of our larg-est-volume ingredients, so the potential for impact is great.”

Processing GingerOn the second day, we visited Doselva’s processing

center. Men and women busily prepared a container ship-ment of fresh ginger to ship to US markets. Inside the large warehouse, employees washed and cleaned the roots (rhizomes). Others were spreading sliced ginger on screens to dry in the sun. Turmeric is processed in the same way. The processing center employs 38 people. An additional 29 are employed in quality control, traceability, certifica-tions, and sales, plus agricultural specialists work in the field directly with farmers.

Conversations about sourcing botanicals often focus on wild collectors and farmers. But the processing of raw mate-rial — cleaning, drying, cutting, sifting, and storing — can make or break quality. Processing facilities have significant impacts, positive and negative, on the communities where they are based. These facilities offer skilled jobs that, unlike farming or wild collection, provide steady income year-round. Depending on the environmental standards of the company, they also can have significant impacts on water use and quality, energy use, climate, air quality, and more.

For example, washing fresh ginger and turmeric roots requires large amounts of water, and Doselva hopes to implement a water recycling system. “By visiting the processing center, we can see where Doselva is working to minimize its environmental impact,” Stephanie said. “The company recognizes where improvements are needed to develop systems for better managing and conserving its water use.”

Growing Turmeric as an Adaptation to Climate Change

In the mountains northeast of Granada, we spent three days visiting coffee farmers who had been growing turmeric for approximately three years. We reached the first of these farms after driving over rough dirt roads and walking along a path through neighboring shade-grown coffee fields. Neighbors and family members of Remigio, the owner of the land, were hours into harvesting turmeric roots. Red sacks filled with freshly harvested roots stood along one end of the field. On the edge of the field, dusty backpacks hung from branches in the center of a tree, which offered welcome shade in the hot Nicaraguan sun.

“The most encouraging thing I saw was how the addition of turmeric meets so many needs for the farmers,” Stephanie said later. “Though part of the fabric of life in Nicaragua, coffee is becoming susceptible to the impacts of climate change and has more volatile pricing. By incorporating turmeric into the agroforestry model, the farmers become more resilient by having options.”

Remigio described how he cares for his coffee and now turmeric. He used cover cropping (in which plants are planted to cover the soil instead of being harvested) to fix nitrogen and other practices he learned from the coffee co-op and from experimenting on his own. On one manzana (the equivalent of 1.75 acres) cleared for cattle, he planted coffee instead. He did a soil study and found that the topsoil was depleted, and so applied guava (Psidium spp., Myrtaceae) as a nitrogen fixer and added leaf litter. In another plot, he grew turmeric along with sugar cane (Saccharum offici-narum, Poaceae) for erosion control, bananas (Musa spp., Musaceae), citrus (Citrus spp., Rutaceae), and more. His soil is improving over time.

Developing a MicroeconomyWe asked Remigio why he was growing turmeric. “With

coffee I make money,” he answered, “and with turmeric

I can make money.” Turmeric brings in money during the lean months, he said. In turn, he is able to hire people in the community to help with weeding and harvest-ing the turmeric fields during the seasons when coffee does not require any labor.

All the farmers we visited grow Fairtrade-certified coffee. Fairtrade provides farmers with a minimum price, which helps when coffee prices drop. Yet, that income is not enough to support the farmers the entire year. Farm-ers wanted to grow alternative crops that do not compete with coffee for space. (Turmeric can grow alongside coffee until the coffee plants get bigger and shade out the turmeric.) So far, it is working. Each year, more farm-ers are interested in growing turmeric, and current turmeric farmers keep adding more turmeric to their landscape. This means it is bringing in additional income. “Farmers will be the first ones to let us know if they are not making a profit,” said Dennis, the agri-cultural extension agent for the co-op in the region.

“I love how turmeric provides security both to the farm-ers and the laborers in the lean season,” Doselva techni-cal advisor Hugo Paz explained. “Neighbors and family and friends may not have enough land to grow their own turmeric, but when money comes in, it is distributed in the region, spent in corner stores, spread among smaller house-holds. The turmeric is developing a microeconomy that is much more diverse than it was before.”

Seeing Where the Turmeric Goes

Gaia Herbs brought along bottles of its Turmeric Supreme® formula, bringing the product full circle to one of the farms where its primary ingredient is harvested. Stephanie opened a capsule so the farmers and harvesters could see the bright orange extract inside and taste and smell the turmeric. I asked Remigio what he thought. “The roots leave our farm, and we don’t really know how they are used,” he said. “It’s great to see the finished product and to hear that it is helping so many people. It makes me more enthused to grow more because it is medicinal, and I see it is important.”

Sacks of freshly harvested turmeric. Photo ©2022 Ann Armbrecht

SUSTAINABLE HERBS PROGRAM NEWS


“Seeing the farmers react to the product was a surpris-ing highlight,” Stephanie said. “Turmeric is new to Nica-ragua, which is a fascinating dynamic. They are seeing friends use it to help with ailments and working it into traditional dishes. There was a lot of pride seeing [that] what they were doing [is] having a positive impact on people around the world.”

I asked another farmer, Hertio Moren, what he hoped his two children, 11 and 9 years old, might do in the future. “I want them to be students,” he said. “In the same way improving and diversifying my crops gives me more options, I want them to have more options. Studying and getting an education will give them those options.”

Listening to FarmersThe farms we visited grew a mix of shade-grown

coffee, bananas, mango (Mangifera indica, Anacardia-ceae), avocado (Persea americana, Lauraceae), sugar cane, cardamom, several hardwood trees (many planted as part of tree-planting initiatives by NGOs like Taking Root), and turmeric. The diversity of the farms amazed me. Jefferson said that the farmers around San Juan del Río Coco have the best polyculture that he has seen in Nicaragua and maybe even in Central America. They are also well organized from participating in the very active coffee co-ops in this region. We ate several meals in a restaurant recently opened with funds from the Fairtrade premium, which created jobs for younger people in the community and broadened the impact beyond the farms.

I asked Jefferson what he thought Doselva did well with farmers and what it could improve. He thought for a moment. The company is trying to be a one-stop shop, he said, to attract farmers to sell to them and be loyal to their supply chain. “We do that by making sure we take care of the farmers’ needs. Things go well when we listen to them and are able to do that.”

Why Partnership and Supplier Visits MatterI was impressed with the scope and depth of Jeffer-

son’s vision, the creativity and ingenuity of the farmers we visited, and how daunting the challenge and neces-sity for change is. The visit was invaluable for deepening the relationship between Gaia, a brand company sourc-ing raw materials, and Doselva, the producer company providing those raw materials. As we walked on dirt paths to the farmers’ plots of land, Stephanie, Chase, and Jefferson spoke about other possible herb and spice mate-rials that Doselva could supply. While we drove for hours in the truck, hiked through a cloud forest on one of our few free afternoons, or shared meals, we all shared stories from our past, challenges in our work, and perspectives and opinions on almost every topic we could think of.

These conversations would never have happened in the same open-ended way during meetings at trade shows and were even less likely on a Zoom call. This created deeper connections so that when thornier topics like quality, terms of payment, or shipping challenges came up, they

were discussed in a context of empathy and friendship. At one point, when asking more specific questions about the processing center, Chase reassured Jefferson this was not an audit. “I’m just mentioning these things so you can be aware of them and so you know what you need to address down the road,” he said.

Jefferson later mentioned that Gaia’s recognition that nothing is perfect in turn allows him to acknowledge the challenges Doselva is facing. By being open and trans-parent, Gaia is creating a space for Doselva to be open and transparent. “We know we don’t always get it right or have it all worked out,” Stephanie added. “The Sourc-ing and Social Impact teams at Gaia set out to develop a deeper relationship because we saw from the begin-ning that Doselva was the real deal. No two relation-ships will be the same but replicating this throughout our supply network is where we’ll start to see the extent of our impact.”

Making a DifferenceMany companies do not have the resources for, or do

not invest the resources in, site visits to suppliers. Yet so much can be accomplished in face-to-face visits that those trips likely save time, resources, and money in the long run. They provide an opportunity to understand issues and challenges from other perspectives, which is essential, as Jefferson said, “to accomplish the changes they hope to make and, ultimately, to change the world.”

On the last day, as we drove six hours back to Granada, I asked Jefferson how he managed it all. “I didn’t know what I was getting into at the beginning,” he said. He added that it was challenging, of course. “But it’s also really exciting. I am constantly asking, ‘How can I most uniquely make a difference?’”

Ann Armbrecht, PhD, is the director of the Sustainable Herbs Program and the author of The Business of Botani-cals: Exploring the Healing Promise of Plant Medicines in a Global Industry (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2021).

References1. Become Bird Friendly Certified. Smithsonian’s National

Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute website. Available at: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/migratory-birds/become-bird-friendly-certified. Accessed June 16, 2022.

2. Lutheran World Relief. How Coffee Farmers are Responding to Leaf Rust in Nicaragua [video]. Septem-ber 8, 2015. YouTube. Available at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbuj9llhaeI. Accessed June 6, 2022.

3. Shriver J. Jefferson’s journey and Doselva’s founding story. Doselva website. Available at: https://doselva.com/jour-ney/. Accessed June 6, 2022.

4. Nicaragua Tierra Nueva. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development website. Available at: www.oecd.org/aidfortrade/48293990.pdf. Accessed June 7, 2022.

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WORLD NEWS


Brazil’s National Policy on Medicinal Plants Prioritizes Citizen Participation and Social Justice

Pink trumpet tree Handroanthus impetiginosusPhoto ©2022 Francisco Florencio de Godoy

Included in the Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS, or the Unified Health System) — the democratic, universal, and free-for-all Brazilian health care system — phytother-apy is safeguarded by important legislation that has been enacted since Brazil’s redemocratization in 1988. The Medicinal Plants and Herbal Remedies National Policy, which the SUS incorporated in 2006, was an important policy milestone because it widened the population’s access to herbal ther-apy, incorporated local flora and traditional knowledge into the health care system, and emphasized the sustainable use of the country’s rich biodi-versity (see Table 1).

The ObservaPICS survey identified various organiza-tional models functioning in all regions. Phytotherapy in the SUS has been a robust practice for decades, predomi-nantly seen in successful cases of organic medicinal herb cultivation. This, in turn, has encouraged the develop-ment of local agricultural clusters. Herbal farming occurs in 35% of the 555 municipalities cataloged by the survey and has continued to grow over the past few years. Places where organic farming is practiced also are diversified and can vary from local health care facilities’ own yards in towns to rural areas farther away. Many families, gardeners, volunteers, and community health agents are involved with herbal farming throughout the country.

These practices are a sign of the viability of the Farmá-cia Viva (“Living Pharmacy”) national decree (portaria in Portuguese), which Brazil’s Ministry of Health enacted in 2010, incorporating the policy into the SUS as well.

This decree regulates the herbal remedies available to the population and herb cultivation in primary health care facilities and surrounding areas. Francisco José de Abreu Matos (1924–2008), one of the most prominent names in the history of herbalism in Brazil, originally conceived this model.

Matos, a pharmacist from Ceará State, was looking for an alternative to the undersupply of essential pharmaceuti-cal medications in the 1980s.2 At the same time, he envi-sioned an authentic health care system that was pertinent to the social reality of the Brazilian Northeast, rather than the mainstream one that was rooted in a techno-scientific Western model. In the 1980s, the average child mortality in Ceará was much higher than in other Brazilian regions. For Matos, community herbal pharmacies could be a solu-tion to the issue, and he believed these needed to be based on local socio-biodiversity. He traveled extensively, explor-ing and systematizing the caatinga† flora. His expeditions incentivized many other researchers to dive deeply into herbal lore and laid the basis for future federal policies. He became internationally renowned, and botanists at the

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, named a variety of garden croton (Croton regelianus var. matosii, Euphorbiaceae) after him as a tribute.3

Around 1,600 miles away from Matos’ birthplace in northeastern Brazil, one of the most successful “living pharmacies” in the country operates year-round. Farmá-cia da Natureza Terra de Ismael (Nature’s Pharmacy Land of Ismael) has been serving approximately 120 people per month, without charge, in a rural area in Jardinópolis, São Paulo State, in southern Brazil. A team of eight physi-cians works at its clinics and prescribes herbal remedies, while another group processes the plants that are grown and sustainably harvested on the pharmacy’s land. Quality control is always performed. A botanical garden, patches of native Atlantic rainforest, and a natural spring are part of the property. From the inner bark of pink trumpet trees (Handroanthus impetiginosus, Bignoniaceae) that grow there, tinctures are made to treat many types of skin condi-tions, as prescribed by a dermatologist. Other physicians

from the clinic recommend different formulations of the Handroanthus tincture for various forms of cancer. In addi-tion, the University of São Paulo, the largest public univer-sity in Brazil, in association with Terra de Ismael, offers post-graduate programs to train professionals in Western herbal sciences. Four herbal medicines out of the 150 manu-factured at Terra de Ismael were included in a list of the SUS’s essential remedies.4

Another relevant initiative is taking place in Mara-nhão State in northeastern Brazil. This region boasts a huge biodiversity since it comprises the frontier between the Amazon rainforest and the cerrado.** A public policy passed in 2016 aimed at widening the population’s access to herbal therapies has reached 125 municipalities out of a total of 217 in Maranhão. So far, 50 therapeutic gardens have been opened throughout Maranhão. About 600 health care workers are involved with the project.5 The gardens are located in indigenous villages, quilombos,‡ terreiros,*** and on the outskirts of Maranhão’s municipalities with

Table 1. Pillars of Brazil’s Medicinal Plants and Herbal Remedies National Policy

• Free, equitable, and integrative health care*

• Strengthening democracy through citizen participation*

• Traditional knowledge and communities as part of the health care system

• Development of short eco-agriculture supply chains

• Socio-biodiversity conservation

• Social guarantees

• Social justice

* These are also pillars of the SUS.

By Lilian Caramel and Pedro Crepaldi Carlessi

A 2021 survey of herbal health care available throughout Brazil revealed a vibrant diversity of services being offered by the public system. Self-sufficient herbal farming happens in dozens of municipalities, strengthening the bond between communities and local governments. Furthermore, the national policies enacted over the past three decades are deep-rooted in concepts beyond the offer of free remedies for all.

Phytotherapy is thriving in Brazil as part of the largest public health care system in the world. A 2021 study by the Brazil-ian ObservaPICS (the National Observatory of Knowledge and Traditional, Integrative and Complementary Practices in Health) surveyed health care workers throughout Brazil and found that 555 municipalities have some kind of herb-related practice in place, such as small-scale farming, foraging, processing, clinics, prescription filling, educational activities, or scientific research.1 In those municipalities, at least 326 plant species are being used, from well-known Mediterranean herbs such as sage (Salvia officinalis, Lamiaceae) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris, Lamiaceae) to Brazil’s own guaco (Mikania glom-erata, Asteraceae), Brazilian peppertree (Schinus terebinthifolius, Anacardiaceae), carqueja (Baccharis trimera, Asteraceae), barbatimão (Stryphnodendron adstringens, Fabaceae), and sucupira-do-cerrado (Pterodon emarginatus, Fabaceae).

** Cerrado: A tropical savanna ecoregion that covers about 25% of Brazil’s territory. Its huge biodiversity has been severely threatened by rapidly expanding GMO soy (Glycine max, Fabaceae) and corn (Zea mays, Poaceae) industrial crops.

‡ Quilombos: Remaining communities of Afro-Brazilians who were resistant to colonial domination by the Portuguese. Accord-ing to official numbers, Brazil has more than 3,000 quilombos that are protected by law.

*** Terreiros: Places of worship and community living for followers of Afro-Brazilian religions (e.g., Terreiro Casa das Minas in São Luís and Terreiro do Egito in Cajueiro, both in Maranhão State). Medicinal plants are grown widely and used by them as medi-cine and for magical purposes.

† Caatinga: The only biome totally located within Brazil’s borders. It is marked by a semi-arid climate, cacti (Cactaceae), and thorny trees. Despite desert-like conditions, it has a huge diversity of plants with medicinal properties.

WORLD NEWS

WORLD NEWS WORLD NEWS


extremely low Human Development Indices (HDIs; a measure of socioeconomic development). At workshops, community members in Maranhão teach health care work-ers about their own traditional methods of using herbs. Those workers, in turn, share information from the scien-tific literature about safe and effective uses of herbs. Fami-lies’ common mistakes when preparing homemade remedies are often corrected during these mutually enriching meet-ings. In the labs of these herbal processing facilities, species such as the tropical Java plum (Syzygium cumini, Myrtaceae) and the leaves of Brazilian orchid tree (Bauhinia forficata, Fabaceae) are made into tinctures to treat chronic diseases such diabetes and hypertension, which are both common in Brazil. The SUS ensures that the remedies are provided for free through proper prescriptions. The outcome of this low-cost, high-gain policy has inspired another state, Acre, in western Brazil, to develop a closely related project called “Living Remedy.”6

Partnerships with public universities and publicly funded research centers also foster phytotherapy in Brazil. These institutions have offered scientific support to the SUS since it was consolidated by Brazil’s Federal Constitution in 1988.

Companies in the private sector are prioritizing phyto-therapy research as well. Centroflora, for example, a leading producer of standardized plant extracts in Brazil, completed the Centroflora Inova facility in Campinas, São Paulo State, in late 2020. This industrial micro-plant is dedicated to herbal medicine research, development, and innovation, and is open to partnerships in the sector. Approximately 40 qualified professionals are working in its high-tech facilities and are dedicated to innovative projects based on plant compounds that highlight Brazil’s national biodiver-sity. One of Centroflora Inova’s current research projects is focused on investigating the genetics of passionflower (Passi-flora edulis, Passifloraceae), a native plant from the Amazon. Additionally, Centroflora is planning to launch the online platform Inovafito in 2022 to serve as a centralized resource for the industry, universities, scholars, and investors. The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), a prominent Brazil-ian public health research center, is an important partner in the platform. Ongoing research updates from seven public universities also will be featured on the website.

However, challenges still need to be overcome. A vital task is to establish an institutional framework in which

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traditional communities, families, farmers, community leaders, and ordinary people have a say in decision-making, thus actualizing concrete citizen participation. Also, as it is part of The Medicinal Plants and Herbal Remedies National Policy’s core principles, phytotherapy still needs to reinforce its role as a valuable means of supporting social justice. In this sense, a lot still needs to be done to set a redistributive policy whereby traditional knowledge holders can benefit from the results of the system. Finally, possibly the most challenging job is to develop mechanisms to safe-guard traditional knowledge and knowledge holders while guaranteeing conservation of the rapidly vanishing socio-biodiversity.7

Lilian Caramel is an experienced journalist and received her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of the State of São Paulo in Brazil in 1998. She lives in São Paulo and covers a range of topics for magazines, websites, and newspa-pers. For more than six years, she also lived in British Colum-bia, Canada, where she was certified as a community herbalist by Pacific Rim College.

Pedro Carlessi received his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from St. Judas Tadeu University in São Paulo in 2011 and his master’s degree from the Federal University of São Paulo in 2016. He is working on his PhD research in collective health at the University of São Paulo and is a visiting researcher in the Anthropology Department of the Institute of Social Sciences at the University of Lisbon in Portugal. His research takes an interdisciplinary approach that combines anthropology and health sciences.

References1. Medicinal Plants and Herbal Remedies in the Sistema

Único de Saúde (Unified Health System) Mapping. Brazilian Observatory of Traditional Knowledge and Complementary and Alternative Medicine website. Available at: https://dadosdepesquisa.fiocruz.br/dataset.xhtml?persistentId=doi:10.35078/DSFRUO. Accessed June 7, 2022.

2. Magalhaes K, Guarniz W, Sá K, et al. Medicinal plants of the Caatinga, northeastern Brazil: Ethnopharmacopeia (1980-1990) of the late professor Francisco José de Abreu Matos. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2019;237:314-335.

3. Croton regelianus var. matosii Radcl.-Sm. [Euphorbiaceae]. Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew website. Available at: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:305756-2#bibliography. Accessed April 18, 2022.

4. Ambulatório Fitoterápico. Casa Espírita Terra de Ismael website. Available at: https://terradeismael.com.br/2021/04/26/ambulatorio-fitoterapico/. Accessed April 15, 2022.

5. Governo Usa Programa Farmácia Viva para Orientar Maran-henses Sobre o Uso de Plantas Medicinais No Pós-COVID-Healthcare Secretary of Maranhão State website. Available at: www.saude.ma.gov.br/destaques/governo-usa-programa-farmacia-viva-para-orientar-maranhenses-sobre-o-uso-de-plantas-medicinais-no-pos-covid/. Accessed April 17, 2022.

6. Projeto Farmácia Viva é apresentado a secretários municipais de saúde. News Agency of Healthcare Secretary of Acre State. September 26, 2019. Available at: https://agencia.ac.gov.br/projeto-farmacia-viva-e-apresentado-em-xapuri/. Accessed April 18, 2022.

7. MapBiomas v6.0. MapBiomas (Brazil) website. Available at: https://mapbiomas.org/en?cama_set_language=en. Accessed April 18, 2022.


Passionflower Passiflora edulisPhoto ©2022 Steven Foster Group

CANNABIS UPDATE CANNABIS UPDATE


The announcement said the free plants would have a tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, cannabis’ main psychoactive compound) level below 0.2% and would be given to house-holds for medical purposes only. Charnvirakul, a construc-tion tycoon who reportedly has spearheaded Thailand’s effort to decriminalize cannabis, also said people can now grow as many cannabis plants as they want at home.2,3,5

The first 1,000 free plants were given away in northeast-ern Buriram province in June. “Don’t use it and sit smiling at home and not get any work done,” Charnvirakul was quoted as saying at the launch of the giveaway.4

It is not clear how people were selected to receive the free plants (first-come, first-served basis or some other system), how much the plants cost the government, how/if the government planned to measure the success of the initia-tive, or if the government provided any guidance about how people should properly care for the plants. However, accord-ing to some sources, cannabis is relatively easy to culti-vate. Further details about the free plants, including their maturity, also are not known. At the time of this writing (August 2022), it is also unclear how many of the 1 million plants have been given away and how they were distributed geographically.

Thailand’s decriminalization of cannabis is notable in a region that is known for its longstanding strict cannabis laws. In nearby Singapore, for example, possessing cannabis can lead to prison time of 10 years, and trafficking cannabis is punishable by death.1

The Thai government’s cannabis initiative has a politi-cal aspect. Since a military coup in Thailand in 2014 (at least the 12th coup since the country’s first coup in 19326), the government has become more progressive in relation to cannabis, although the reasons vary. In 2018, the junta-appointed parliament approved medical use of cannabis, which some believed might help military-backed parties win support in the parliamentary elections the next year. The approval took effect in early 2019 and made Thailand the first Southeast Asian country to legalize cannabis for medical use and research.7 Several restrictions have been eased gradually since then.5

According to The Washington Post, a push for broader legalization in Thailand came later in 2019, after the first election since the coup. Charnvirakul’s Bhumjaithai Party had promoted cannabis as a cash crop and promised to legalize household cultivation.7 During his campaign in 2019, he was quoted as saying that small-scale cannabis

farming could bring households an extra $13,000 of income per year.1 Charnvirakul became health minister that year, when his party came in fifth and joined the coali-tion government (i.e., a usually-temporary alliance that is formed when no party gains a clear majority and competing parties instead choose to cooperate).7

In January 2022, Thailand announced that it would remove cannabis from its list of controlled drugs and decriminalize cannabis with a THC level below 0.2% for personal use, reportedly becoming the first Asian country to do so. At the time, it was reported that the rule had to be published in the official Royal Gazette and would go into effect 120 days after that. The rule appar-ently went into effect in early June, coincid-ing with the plant giveaway.2,8

Now, people in Thailand do not need government permission before starting to grow cannabis at home. However, cultiva-tors reportedly still need to secure addi-tional licenses to grow cannabis for what are

considered non-medical purposes, such as for cannabidiol (CBD, a non-intoxicating compound in cannabis) or hemp businesses (even though CBD has been shown to have many potential medicinal applications and benefits). The govern-ment will perform regular inspections to prevent unauthor-ized operations from sprouting up.3

Large cannabis businesses need to register via a mobile application developed and operated by the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA).2,3 By April 2022, the Thai FDA reportedly had received about 4,700 applications for licenses to import, possess, grow, and produce cannabis and hemp.5

Households can form communities or co-ops to grow cannabis for public and state facilities, such as hospitals, or for food and cosmetic products. Recreational use of cannabis with a THC content above 0.2% and smoking cannabis in public reportedly are still forbidden, and individuals can face up to 15 years in prison.2-4 However, when the laws changed in June, about 3,000 people reportedly were released from prison after being held for cannabis-related crimes.4

In Thailand, the agriculture sector employs around 30% of the total labor force, and the government now apparently wants to make cannabis one of its top cash crops. The country also reportedly wants to develop a well-ness industry around cannabis, position itself as the medical hub of Asia and a leader in Asia’s nascent cannabis industry, and strengthen medical tourism. Tourism made up as much as one fifth of Thailand’s pre-COVID-19 economy, and tourists have recently started returning in large numbers after having been largely absent during the pandemic.1-3,5

“This will enable people and the government to generate more than 10 billion baht [per year, or $272.4 million] in revenue from marijuana and hemp,” Charnvirakul was quoted as saying. “Mean-while, people can showcase their cannabis and hemp-related products and wisdom and sell their products nationwide.”3

References1. Ives M, Suhartono M. Thailand Will Give Away 1

Million Weed Plants. The New York Times. May 12, 2022. Available at: www.nytimes.com/2022/05/12/world/asia/thailand-legal-weed-plant.html. Accessed July 26, 2022.

2. Sabaghi D. Thailand to Give Away One Million Cannabis Plants to Households Across the Country. Forbes website. May 23, 2022. Available at: www.forbes.com/sites/dariosabaghi/2022/05/23/thailand-to-give-away-one-million-cannabis-plants-to-house-holds-across-the-country/. Accessed July 26, 2022.

3. Stovall C. Thailand is giving away 1 million canna-bis plants to celebrate new homegrow laws. Leafly website. May 11, 2022. Available at: www.leafly.com/news/politics/thailand-giving-away-1-million-canna-bis-plants. Accessed July 26, 2022.

4. Thailand launches its campaign to give away one million free cannabis plants, but discourages getting high. ABC News (Australia) website. June 10, 2022. Available at: www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-10/thai-

land-to-give-one-million-free-cannabis-plants/101144672. Accessed July 26, 2022.

5. Farberov S. Thai High: Thailand to give away 1 million free marijuana plants. New York Post. May 11, 2022. Available at: www.nypost.com/2022/05/11/thailand-to-give-away-1-mil-lion-free-marijuana-plants/. Accessed July 26, 2022.

6. Taylor A, Kaphle A. Thailand’s army just announced a coup. Here are 11 other Thai coups since 1932. The Washington Post. May 22, 2014. Available at: www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/05/20/thailands-army-says-this-definitely-isnt-a-coup-heres-11-times-it-definitely-was/. Accessed July 26, 2022.

7. Tanakasempipat P. How Thailand Is Blazing Trails on Gay Rights, Legalizing Marijuana. The Washington Post. July 21, 2022. Available at: www.washingtonpost.com/business/how-thailand-is-blazing-trails-on-gay-rights-legalizing-marijuana/2022/07/19/0e60409c-07c8-11ed-80b6-43f2bfcc6662_story.html. Accessed July 26, 2022.

8. Sabaghi D. Thailand Has Become the First Asian Country to Decriminalize Recreational Cannabis. Forbes website. Janu-ary 27, 2022. Available at: www.forbes.com/sites/dariosaba-ghi/2022/01/27/thailand-has-become-the-first-asian-country-to-decriminalize-recreational-cannabis/. Accessed July 26, 2022.

By Connor Yearsley

In a Facebook post in early May 2022, Thailand’s Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, announced the Thai government would distribute 1 million free cannabis (Cannabis spp., Cannabaceae) plants beginning in early June 2022, when many legal restrictions on cannabis production and possession were set to be lifted in the country.1-5

Green Rush: Thai Government Pledges to Give Away 1 Million Free Cannabis Plants

Map courtesy of Cacahuate

Cannabis Cannabis sativaPhoto ©2022 Steven Foster Group

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Aronia Berry Extract Alleviates Symptoms of Metabolic Syndrome HerbalGram Research Reviews are based on ABC’s HerbClipTM publication, which is a benefit of ABC Membership.

Twice monthly, ABC publishes at least 16 summaries and critical reviews of important articles drawn from medical, pharmacy, and scientific journals, newsletters, government documents, and special reports. Like the vast majority of ABC publications, HerbClips are peer-reviewed.

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TM

The study was conducted from February 2018 to November 2019. People who were 35-70 years old with MetS were eligible for inclusion. The authors excluded people with type 1 diabetes mellitus, malignant tumors, a history of any severe disease that could hinder the investigation, or a hypersen-sitivity to the intervention. People who currently consumed dietary supplements, were pregnant or lactating, or excessively used alcohol also were excluded.

Participants were stratified into four groups based on gender and whether they had type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM): men with MetS (n = 42), women with MetS (n = 42), men with MetS and T2DM (n = 28), and women with MetS and T2DM (n = 32). Anthropometric, hemodynamic (e.g., blood pressure and heart rate), and biochemi-cal data were collected at baseline and after two and four weeks of SAE treatment. All significant changes were reported as P < 0.05.

All participants received 30 mL of an SAE (A-LIXIR® 400 Protect; Pharmanova; Belgrade, Serbia) before or during dinner for four weeks. This SAE is an oral solution that is rich in polyphe-nols (431 mg/30 mL), anthocyanins (120 mg/30 mL), and potassium sorbate (35.1 mg/30 mL) and

has a low content of ethanol (0.04% by volume), accord-ing to the authors.

A total of 143 participants who were 50-60 years old completed the trial. (One participant apparently did not complete the trial, but no additional information was provided in the paper.) There was no significant differ-ence in age among the groups.

Body weight significantly decreased in men with T2DM after two weeks of SAE treatment, and in all groups after four weeks compared with baseline. Waist size significantly decreased in women without T2DM after two weeks of treatment, and in all groups after four weeks compared with baseline. After two and four weeks of treatment, systolic and diastolic blood pressure signifi-cantly decreased with no significant changes in heart rate in all groups. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) was significantly reduced in women with T2DM after two weeks of treatment, and in all groups after four weeks. After four weeks of SAE treatment, total choles-terol and LDL-C were significantly reduced in all groups, and triglycerides were significantly reduced in men and women with T2DM. Interestingly, high-density lipopro-tein cholesterol (HDL-C) was significantly increased in women without T2DM after four weeks compared with baseline.

The mean values of glycemia in all groups signifi-cantly decreased after two and four weeks of SAE treat-ment. Markers of hepatic function — especially aspar-tate aminotransferase — also significantly improved after two and four weeks of SAE treatment in several groups. Levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation, significantly improved in women without T2DM after two and four weeks. In the same popula-tion, white blood cell counts significantly improved after four weeks. Except for a significant increase in platelet counts after four weeks of SAE treatment in men and women with T2DM, no statistically significant differ-ences were observed in hematological parameters (red blood cell counts and hemoglobin and iron levels) among the groups.

Daily supplementation with SAE for four weeks corre-lated with significant reductions in body weight, waist size, blood pressure, and serum blood glucose in all groups. SAE also was associated with significant improve-ments in blood lipids, mainly LDL-C and total choles-terol, and markers of hepatic function and inflammation in some groups.

While the exact mechanisms behind SAE’s favorable effects on body composition, blood pressure, blood lipids, glycemia, hepatic function, and inflammatory mark-ers remain unknown, the extract’s polyphenol content is thought to play a role in these outcomes by reducing oxidative stress. However, with no control group, a lack of blinding, and other confounding factors related to life-style and pharmacotherapy, additional trials are needed to confirm the effects of SAE on improving MetS and whether these effects are clinically significant.

Reviewed: Tasic N, Jakovlijevic VLJ, Mitrovic M, et al. Black chokeberry Aronia melanocarpa extract reduces blood pres-sure, glycemia and lipid profile in patients with metabolic syndrome: A prospective controlled trial. Mol Cell Biochem. July 2021;476(7):2663-2673. doi: 10.1007/s11010-021-04106-4.

By Gavin Van De Walle, MS, RDN

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a disorder characterized by symptoms such as high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels that increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. Fruits like aronia berry (Aronia melanocarpa, Rosaceae), also known as black chokeberry, are rich in antioxidants and phytonutri-ents such as anthocyanins (a bioactive flavonoid), which have been shown in clinical trials to improve some symp-toms of MetS. Still, few studies have assessed the effects of aronia berry in the prevention and treatment of MetS. This prospective, open-label, clinical case-series trial aimed to examine the effects of a standardized aronia berry extract (SAE) on clinical and biochemical parameters in people with MetS.


Study Details: At a Glance

Study DesignProspective, open-label, clinical case-series trial

Duration Four weeks

Participants143 men and women with metabolic syndrome and/or type 2 diabetes mellitus

InterventionA-LIXIR® 400 Protect (Pharmanova; Belgrade, Serbia), a standardized aronia berry extract

Control None

DisclosuresThe authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Aronia berry Aronia melanocarpaPhoto ©2022 Steven Foster Group



Echinacea Supplementation May Provide Symptom Relief in Healthy Adults with Mild to Moderate Anxiety

ParticipantsParticipants were recruited between May and June 2020

throughout Australia using social media advertisements. The study included healthy men and women (18-65 years old) with a total Clinically Useful Anxiety Outcome Scale (CUXOS) score between 11 and 40, indicating mild to moderate anxiety. Participants were required to be non-smokers and medication-free for four weeks before the beginning of the study, not use pain-relieving medica-tions more than once a week, have a body mass index (BMI) between 18 and 35 kg/m2, and be fluent in English. Researchers excluded people who consumed more than 14 alcoholic drinks per week, had a current or 12-month history of illicit drug abuse, took supplements that could influence the study outcomes, were diagnosed with a medi-cal condition (other than anxiety), and were pregnant, lactating, or intending to become pregnant.

A total of 339 individuals were assessed for eligibility. Of those, 231 were excluded for not meeting inclusion crite-ria (n = 211) or not completing the initial questionnaire (n = 20). The remaining 108 participants were randomly assigned to the high-dose echinacea (HDE, n = 37), low-dose echinacea (LDE, n = 36), and placebo (n = 35) groups. Four participants in the HDE group discontinued the study due to digestive complaints (n = 1), beginning medication (n = 1), and undisclosed reasons (n = 2). Four in the LDE group discontinued due to digestive complaints (n = 1) and undisclosed reasons (n = 3). In the placebo group, seven did not complete the study for undisclosed reasons. Ninety-three people completed the study.

Materials and AssessmentsEach AnxioCalm tablet contained 20 mg of EP107. The

placebo tablets contained cellulose powder and the same excipients as the active tablets. Both tablets were identical in appearance.

Participants were mailed a six-week supply of tablets and instructed to take the tablets with or without food. The HDE group consumed two 20-mg AnxioCalm tablets twice

daily (total daily dose of 80 mg), and the LDE group took one placebo tablet and one 20-mg AnxioCalm tablet (total daily dose of 40 mg of the active ingredient).

Participants were required to complete online versions of the CUXOS, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS, a self-reported measure of positive and negative emotions), Short Form-36 (SF-36, a quality-of-life assess-ment), and the Bergen Insomnia Scale (BIS) at baseline and weeks 1, 2, 4, and 6, except the SF-36 and BIS, which were completed at all intervals except week 1. The CUXOS was the primary outcome measure. The other tests were second-ary outcome measures. Adverse events were recorded at weeks 1, 2, 4, and 6.

A total of eight participants from the placebo (n = 2), LDE (n = 3), and HDE (n = 3) groups failed to consume the minimum required tablets. However, data from these participants were included because removal of their results did not significantly influence the outcomes. There were no statistical differences between groups at baseline, except in the HDE group, which had a significantly lower PANAS positive affect score (P = 0.012) than the LDE and placebo groups.

ResultsIn all groups, the CUXOS total scores and CUXOS

psychological and somatic scores reduced over time. No group differences were significant for any of the CUXOS scores at any timepoint.

The PANAS positive affect score significantly increased and the negative affect score significantly decreased in the LDE group compared with baseline. Similar results were observed in the HDE group: The PANAS positive affect score significantly increased (P = 0.001), and the negative affect score significantly decreased (P < 0.001). In the placebo group, a significant reduction in the PANAS negative affect score was shown (P = 0.03); however, the change in the PANAS positive affect score was not significant compared to baseline. Between-group analysis showed a significant difference in the change of PANAS positive affect score between the LDE and placebo groups (P = 0.005) and the HDE and placebo groups (P = 0.048). A significant change in the PANAS negative affect score between the placebo and LDE (P = 0.001) and placebo and HDE (P = 0.041) also was observed.

Significant improvements in several SF-36 scores (role limitation due to emotional problems, energy/fatigue, emotional wellbeing, and social function) were observed in the LDE group compared to baseline. In the HDE group, significant improvements also were seen in some SF-36 scores (role limitation due to emotional problems, emotional wellbeing, and social function) compared to baseline. The placebo group showed a statistically signifi-cant improvement in energy/fatigue scores on the SF-36 compared to baseline. Between-group analysis showed a significant change in the SF-36 emotional wellbeing score between the placebo and LDE (P = 0.043) groups and the placebo and HDE (P = 0.046) groups. In the HDE group, a significant change in the SF-36 social function score (P = 0.043) and general health score (P = 0.49) was observed when compared to placebo.

The BIS score significantly reduced in all groups compared to baseline (P < 0.001 for all), indicating an improvement in insomnia symptoms. However, there were no significant between-group differences.

No major adverse events were reported. The frequency of adverse events was similar in all three groups. However, digestive complaints, particularly nausea, were more preva-lent in the HDE group (n = 4). The mean adherence to the protocol in participants that completed the study was 93%.

ConclusionSeveral limitations of this study should be noted. The two

echinacea doses had similar effects in the study; therefore, an optimal dose has yet to be determined. The study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many people may have been experiencing an increase in stress and anxiety, which could have impacted the findings.

The authors concluded that AnxioCalm supplementation over six weeks may reduce symptoms of anxiety and improve emotional wellbeing in healthy adults, though there were no

significant differences between groups on the primary vari-able, the CUXOS score. They recommended further research to examine the potential anxiolytic and antidepressant effects of short- and long-term use of echinacea.

References1. Haller J, Freund TF, Pelczer KG, Füredi J, Krecsak L, Zámbori J.

The anxiolytic potential and psychotropic side effects of an echinacea preparation in laboratory animals and healthy volunteers. Phytother Res. 2013;27(1):54-61. doi: 10.1002/ptr.4677.

2. Haller J, Krecsak L, Zámbori J. Double-blind placebo controlled trial of the anxiolytic effects of a standardized echinacea extract. Phytother Res. 2020;34(3):660-668. doi: 10.1002/ptr.6558.

Reviewed: Lopresti AL, Smith SJ. An investigation into the anxiety-relieving and mood-enhancing effects of Echinacea angustifolia (EP107™): A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. J Affect Disord. October 2021;293:229-237. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.06.054.

By Samaara Robbins

Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea and E. angustifolia, Asteraceae) is a well-known herbal preventative and treat-ment option for the common cold and upper respiratory tract infections. Echinacea also has been reported to improve immune function and protect against other viral, bacterial, and fungal infections. Two human trials, published in 2013 and 2020, suggest anxiolytic effects and provide some clinical evidence for what has been reported in animal models.1,2 In both trials, AnxioCalm® (Terry Naturally Vitamins; Green Bay, Wisconsin), an herbal supplement containing the E. angustifolia extract EP107™, was used. The purpose of this 2021 three-arm, parallel-group, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was to examine the efficacy and tolerability of AnxioCalm at two different doses for the treatment of symptoms of mild to moderate anxiety in healthy adults.


Study DesignThree-arm, parallel-group, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Duration Six weeks

Participants 93 men and women with mild to moderate anxiety

InterventionAnxioCalm® (Terry Naturally Vitamins; Green Bay, Wisconsin), an herbal supplement tablet containing the Echinacea angustifolia extract EP107™

ControlPlacebo tablets containing cellulose powder and the same excipients as the active tablets

Disclosures

Lopresti is the managing director of Clinical Research Australia and receives presentation hono-raria from nutraceutical companies. Smith is an employee of Clinical Research Australia and declared no other conflicts of interest.


Echinacea Echinacea angustifoliaPhoto ©2022 Steven Foster Group



Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba, Ginkgoaceae) extract (GBE) is thought to act on specific brain regions, and human clinical studies have shown some positive effects of GBE in people with AD. The purpose of this randomized, three-arm, parallel-group trial was to compare the efficacy of GBE versus donepezil and study the effects of their combination on cognition, behavioral function, psychological function, and quality of life (QOL). The study also used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI*) to analyze spontane-ous brain activity adaptations after pharmacological treat-ment with donepezil and/or GBE in people diagnosed with AD.

Participants were recruited at the First Affiliated Hospi-tal of Nanjing Medical University in Nanjing, China. Eligible participants were 50 to 85 years old; right-handed; diagnosed with AD or mild cognitive impairment (MCI); had a computed tomography (CT) or MRI scan that indi-cated AD or MCI less than a year before recruitment; had a mini-mental state examination (MMSE) score of 27 or lower; and had the ability to follow medical guidance and provide informed consent. People were excluded if they were diagnosed with vascular dementia, major depression, schizophrenia, cerebrovascular disease, Parkinson’s disease, or other systemic and neurodegenerative diseases, or had a modified Hachinski ischemic score (MHIS, a tool used to distinguish among types of dementia) of 4 or higher.

A total of 150 eligible participants were randomly assigned to the GBE group, the donepezil group, or the combined group. fMRI was contraindicated for 19 partici-pants in the GBE group, 22 in the donepezil group, and 22 in the combined group. Ten participants in the GBE group withdrew for various reasons, 18 withdrew in the donepezil group, and six withdrew in the combined group. The final analysis for neuropsychological testing included 40 partici-pants in the GBE group, 32 in the donepezil group, and 44 in the combined group. fMRI testing was performed on 20

participants each in the GBE and combined groups and 17 in the donepezil group.

The GBE group received 150 mg three times daily. The donepezil group received 5 mg once daily. The combined group received both GBE (150 mg three times daily) and donepezil (5 mg once daily). All groups continued their interventions for six months.

Baseline assessments included demographics, AD/MCI history and family history, comorbidities, status of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotype (which increases the risk of developing AD), MHIS, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) score, and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) score. Additional variables included MMSE, AD Assess-ment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog), Instrumen-tal Activities of Daily Living (IADL), Geriatric Depres-sion Scale (GDS), Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), and QOL in AD (QOL-AD). All data were collected at baseline and at one, three, and six months. Resting state fMRI was performed at baseline and six months.

Baseline characteristics were similar for all parameters. During treatment, no significant differences were observed between the groups for any of the parameters except MMSE at one month. The GBE group had significantly higher MMSE scores (indicating less impairment) at one month (P = 0.019) compared to the donepezil group. All three groups showed significant improvements in MMSE

and ADAS-Cog scores at one, three, and six months compared to baseline. IADL impairment was significantly reduced at three months compared to baseline in the GBE group (P = 0.017) and in the combined group (P = 0.041), and QOL-AD improved significantly in the combined group (P = 0.022). NPI scores significantly improved in the GBE (P = 0.044) and donepe-zil (P = 0.012) groups at six months compared to baseline. GDS scores in the combined group were significantly improved (P = 0.007) after six months compared to baseline.

Results of fMRI showed significant changes in brain activity in all three groups reflected by changes in four metrics: amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF), percent amplitude of fluctuation (PerAF), regional homo-geneity (ReHo), and degree central-ity (DC). A significant positive corre-lation was observed between IADL changes and ALFF changes in the right gyrus rectus in the GBE group (P = 0.03), whereas a negative correlation was found in the left superior cerebel-lum gyrus in the donepezil group (P = 0.01). Negative correlations also were observed between: ALFF and GDS in the right middle temporal gyrus in the GBE group (P = 0.01); NPI changes and PerAF changes in the left fusiform gyrus in the GBE group (P = 0.03); and MMSE changes and ReHo changes in the right superior frontal gyrus in the GBE group (P = 0.04).

The authors concluded that GBE is comparable to donepezil in the improvement of cognitive, behavioral, psychological, and global functions in people diagnosed with AD. They also asserted that combined treatment with GBE and donepezil “seems to be unnec-essary” and that “variations of imag-ing metrics in specific brain regions may serve as potential biomarkers in the monitoring of the therapeutic effi-cacy of GBE.” Well-designed studies are needed to fully investigate the efficacy and mechanisms of pharmacological treatments such as donepezil and GBE on functional recovery in people with AD, the authors noted.

Ginkgo Extract Is Comparable to Donepezil for Improvement of Cognitive, Behavioral, Psychological, and Global Functions in Alzheimer’s DiseaseReviewed: Zheng Y, Xie Y, Qi M, et al. Ginkgo biloba extract is comparable with donepezil in improving functional recov-ery in Alzheimer’s disease: Results from a multilevel characterized study based on clinical features and resting-state func-tional magnetic resonance imaging. Front Pharmacol. August 3, 2021;12:721216. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.721216.

By Samaara Robbins

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an irreversible neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive cognitive and intellectual deficits. Pharmacological interventions include acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonists, and immunotherapy. Previously published reviews have found that the pharmaceutical done-pezil can improve cognitive function, activities of daily living, and Clinical Global Impression scales in people with AD. AD progression follows a typical order, beginning with episodic memory loss, followed by semantic memory loss, aphasia (a disorder that affects language and communication), apraxia (a disorder that makes people unable to carry out certain motor movements), visuospatial symptoms, and other motor and visual deficits.


Study Design Randomized, three-arm, parallel-group trial

Duration Six months

Participants150 men and women diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive impairment

Interventions Ginkgo biloba extract, donepezil, or both

Disclosures The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Ginkgo Ginkgo bilobaPhoto ©2022 Steven Foster Group

* fMRI is an imaging technique that can measure changes in blood flow in the brain.



The study was conducted from December 2017 to June 2018 and included 70 participants who were 30-60 years old, were overweight or obese, and had been diag-nosed with T2DM for at least six months before the study. They were patients at the Endocrine and Metabo-lism Clinic of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in Tabriz, Iran. Those who had been treated with insulin, hormone replacement therapy, or dietary or antioxi-dant supplements during the previous two months were excluded. The authors also excluded women who were pregnant or lactating and patients who had a history of surgery, serious illness, smoking, or alcohol intake.

For eight weeks, the 35 participants in the interven-tion group and 35 participants in the placebo group took one capsule daily before a meal. The capsules contained either 100 mg of saffron stigma powder or 100 mg of maltodextrin starch (placebo). Participants continued their usual dietary intake and physical activity and were monitored weekly by phone for the occurrence of any adverse events.

Anthropometric and dietary intake assessments were conducted at baseline and at the end of the study. These tools were used to assess the study outcomes: the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), the Hurlbert Index of Sexual Desire (HISD), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Diabetes Quality-of-Life-Brief Clinical Inven-tory (DQOL-BCI), and biochemical assays.

Baseline characteristics were similar between the two groups. No adverse events were reported during the study. Participants were 51.2 ± 10.3 years old, and their disease duration was 5.5 ± 4.5 years. Five participants in each group did not complete the study. In the saffron group, three withdrew because they lived far from the clinic, and two dropped out because of pregnancy. In the placebo group, three were dissatisfied with the treatment, and two withdrew because of personal reasons.

In the saffron group, significant reductions were observed in fasting plasma glucose (FPG), insulin, triglycerides, homeostatic model assessment of insu-lin resistance (HOMA-IR), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) compared with baseline (P < 0.001 for all). In the placebo group, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C; P = 0.03) and AST (P = 0.003) levels increased, and ALT levels decreased (P < 0.001) compared with baseline. Between-group comparisons revealed greater improvements in the saffron group compared with the placebo group for FPG (P = 0.04), insulin (P = 0.03), HOMA-IR (P = 0.01), triglycer-ide levels (P = 0.004), total cholesterol (P = 0.001), LDL-C (P = 0.008), AST (P = 0.002), and ALT (P = 0.01).

Scores on the BDI-II and DQOL-BCI significantly improved in the saffron group compared with baseline and compared with the placebo group (P < 0.001 for all). HISD scores did not change significantly in either group. On the PSQI, sleep quality (P = 0.01), duration (P = 0.02), efficiency (P = 0.04), and daytime functioning (P < 0.001) significantly improved in the saffron group compared with the placebo group. Both groups showed an improvement in the global PSQI score; however, the improvement was greater in the saffron group (P < 0.001).

Limitations of this study include its short duration and the fixed-dose design, which prevented the investigation of dose-dependent effects of the saffron intervention. (According to a peer reviewer of this article, significantly lower doses of saffron have been shown to have beneficial effects on sleep quality, for example, in clinical trials.1,2) Some dietary factors, which could have been confounders, were not evaluated.

The authors concluded that “saffron appears to have anti-diabetic effects” as it reduced hyperglycemia and levels of triglycerides and liver enzymes in people with T2DM, who also experienced improvements in depres-sion, sleep quality, and overall quality of life.

References1. Lopresti AL, Smith SJ, Drummond PD. An investigation

into an evening intake of a saffron extract (affron®) on sleep quality, cortisol, and melatonin concentrations in adults with poor sleep: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-dose study. Sleep Medicine. 2021;86:7-18.

2. Lopresti AL, Smith SJ, Metse AP, Drummond PD. Effects of saffron on sleep quality in healthy adults with self-reported poor sleep: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2020;16(6):937-947.

Saffron Supplementation Improves Liver Function, Depression, Sleep, and Quality of Life in People with Type 2 Diabetes Reviewed: Tajaddini A, Roshanravan N, Mobasseri M, et al. Saffron improves life and sleep quality, glycaemic status, lipid profile and liver function in diabetic patients: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised clinical trial. Int J Clin Pract. August 2021;75(8):e14334. doi: 10.1111/ijcp.14334.

By Shari Henson

Abnormal blood glucose levels associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) increase the risk of heart disease, nerve damage, kidney disease, eye and skin disorders, sleep apnea, and possibly dementia. They can also cause sleep disorders and sexual dysfunction, diminish quality of life, and increase the risk of depres-sion. The use of oral medications to manage the disease can sometimes result in severe adverse events. Studies have reported that saffron (Crocus sativus, Iridaceae), which has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, may be an effective adjunctive therapy for T2DM. Studies also indicate that saffron may help treat depression and impaired sexual function. In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, the authors investigated the effects of saffron supplementation on glycemic status, lipid profiles, liver function, mood, sexual function, sleep, and quality of life in people with T2DM.


Study DesignRandomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Duration Eight weeks

Participants60 men and women with type 2 diabetes melli-tus and who were overweight or obese

Intervention Capsules containing saffron stigma powder

ControlPlacebo capsules containing maltodextrin starch

Disclosures

The trial was funded by the vice-chancellor for research at the Tabriz University of Medical Sciences Nutrition Research Center. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Saffron Crocus sativusPhoto ©2022 Zeynel Cebeci


Like something from the 1940 film “Fantasia” or the 2009 film “Avatar,” San Gabriel, California-based photographer Craig Burrows uses a technique called ultraviolet-induced visible f luorescence

(UVIVF) photography to capture the beauty, diversity, and morphology of plants, including medicinal plants, in a way they are not normally seen. This involves using an ultravio-let (UV) light source, which makes the plants fluoresce in spectacular and unpredictable displays. Humans do not see the UV light, however — just the plants’ reactions to it.1,2

Think of how a black light, which emits invisible UV light, causes a white T-shirt to glow blue or violet. And, under UV light, tonic water fluoresces bright blue due to the presence of the antimalarial compound quinine (from Cinchona spp., Rubiaceae).3

Burrows, who has been interested in nature from an early age but never formally studied botany, started using this

technique in 2013 or 2014, just a few years after he started photography in general. “I saw somebody else doing it, I thought it was a really cool-looking technique, and I wanted to try it myself,” he said (oral communication, January 10, 2022).

The process requires total darkness. Burrows uses a 365-nanometer UV light source with 12 light-emitting diodes (LEDs) arranged in a small square. He typically uses a 10-second camera exposure, with the camera on a tripod, and moves the light source around the subject during the exposure time. This creates a “light painting” effect and avoids sharp shadows.

“One thing that I like to convey as much as possible with this is that the luminescence is not coming from an external source,” Burrows said. “It is actually being emitted from the subject. I want to emphasize that characteristic visually as much as possible by smoothing out the light source.”

Floral FluorescenceMedicinal Plants in a New, Ultraviolet Light

By Connor Yearsley | UVIVF Photography by Craig Burrows

Largeflower phacelia Phacelia grandiflora


Pitcher PlantSarracenia sp.,

Sarraceniaceae


UV light has wavelengths that are shorter than visible light but longer than X-rays. Fluorescence, a type of lumi-nescence, occurs when a substance absorbs light of one wavelength and almost immediately reradiates light, usually of a longer wavelength. This happens when electrons of the fluorescent substance move to a high-energy state. From this excited, unstable state, they then lose energy in the form of heat and visible light while returning to their “normal” energy state.4

Fluorescence ceases nearly immediately when the exciting source is removed, unlike phosphorescence, which contin-ues as an afterglow. Because humans generally cannot see UV light, except in rare cases,* fluorescent objects appear to glow mysteriously on their own when illuminated by UV light in a dark room.4 High-quality UVIVF photogra-phy actually rejects as much UV light as possible from the

camera’s sensor and instead captures the visible light radiated from the subject.7

When a f luorescent object is illuminated by both UV light and visible light (such as sunlight), the visible light created by the object’s fluorescence is added to the visible light reflect-ing off the object, so a fluorescent object under full illumination appears to be unusually bright but not glowing on its own, as with UV light only.4

To get started with UVIVF photography, Burrows said some results can be achieved almost immediately with a high-quality UV light. He has coached people on using the tech-nique and helps troubleshoot if, for example, their photos have blue speckles everywhere or are entirely purple.

“You can do this without a lot of skill or tech-nology,” he said. “But, to get to a point where it is true to the subject matter but also is portrayed in an aesthetically pleasant way, I do think that requires a good deal of skill to get to that level.”

Burrows uses a Sony A99 camera, which is not modified in any way, and a simple macro lens. So, the effect is achieved entirely with the UV light source, he said. The subject is usually on a black stool with a black backdrop, if he doesn’t have a lot of space, since the best way to achieve a black background is to have a lot of space between the subject and what is behind it.

Because the technique requires such long exposure times, even a slight breeze, especially with a high-magnification image, will make it blurry, so most of Burrows’ UVIVF photos are taken inside. “I am very much a pixel peeper,”

he said. “I’m very particular about how sharp the image is. I try to keep it as controlled as possible. So, usually, I do these in my garage, and I actually grow the plants myself as much as possible, or I’ll find them in the neighborhood or somewhere where I can take a cutting without being too impactful.”

The exposure time is one limitation of the technique. “I’m using a fairly intense light source, but I still need a long exposure for it,” Burrows said. “I would say that’s a drawback. You can’t have a high-quality image and also have a fast-captured image. And, of course, there’s a little bit of hazardousness with ultraviolet in general. So, that’s not ideal.”

On the other hand, Burrows believes the technique can stimulate people’s interest in botany. “If you photograph

* The lens of the human eye filters out UV light, perhaps to protect the retina from UV’s harmful effects. However, some people can see UV light, including people with a condition called aphakia, in which the lens of the eye is absent or removed, often due to cataracts. French Impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840–1926), for example, developed cataracts in later life and eventu-ally had the lens of one eye removed. Some of his later paintings heavily featured bluish colors, which may be because he could see certain wavelengths of UV light.5,6

Comparison showing a normal daylight photo (top) and a UVIVF photo (bottom) of dandelion (Taraxacum spp.). Top photo ©2022 Steven Foster GroupBottom photo ©2022 Craig Burrows

PassionflowerPassiflora sp.,

Passifloraceae



Silk TreeAlbizia julibrissin, Fabaceae

Silk tree, or mimosa, is native to Asia, from Iran to Japan, and now is common in the American South. It grows fast and has fluffy, fragrant, pink, powderpuff flowerheads that attract bees. In a process called nyctinasty, its leaflets close at night and reopen during the day. It is grown for ornament, as a shade and roadside tree, and to prevent soil erosion, but can be invasive, including in watersheds, where currents carry the seeds downstream.14,15 In China, the tree is called he huan, which may mean “together happiness” based on a custom of planting the tree near a home as a symbol of harmony, unity, and peace, according to a peer reviewer. The dried stem bark and dried inflorescence are used in traditional Chinese medicine “to ease the mind” due to mild sedative effects, and the flowers are used for anxi-ety, depression, and insomnia.16 The genus name Albizia honors Italian naturalist Filippo degli Albizzi, who brought the tree from Constantinople to Italy around 1749. The species name julibrissin derives from a Persian word mean-

ing “floss silk,” referring to the flowers.14,16 French botanist André Michaux (1746–1802) introduced silk tree and other plants, including ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba, Ginkgoaceae), to the United States.17 In 1808, American botanist William Bartram, son of botanist John Bartram, sent a letter with silk tree seeds to then-US President Thomas Jefferson, who reportedly planted the seeds at his home, Monticello.18,19 In 1814, the tree was included in John Bartram & Son’s cata-log of plants from Bartram’s Garden in Philadelphia, which is considered America’s first botanical garden and is now a National Historic Landmark.20 After the Natural History Museum in London was bombed in 1940, during World War II, silk tree seeds (collected in 1713) on herbarium sheets were moistened and sprouted when the fire was extin-guished.21 One recent study suggests silk tree seed oil may be used in soaps, shampoos, and UV protectors in cosmet-ics, and its high polyunsaturated fatty acid content may make it a nutritious alternative to other oils.22


the same thing in ultraviolet, there is a sense of wonder that isn’t normally there,” he said. “In the same way it made me more interested in plants, I hope it can make other people interested.”

He said the technique involves trial and error. “It took me maybe an embarrassingly long time to realize that my shots were blurry not because I was moving the camera…, but because the subjects themselves were actually moving,” he said.

He found the anthers of some flowers wiggle around during the exposure, and some plants, including species in the Malvaceae family, close up at certain times of day. Burrows counteracts these challenges in different ways. For example, when he went to Hawaii to photograph plants for Hana Hou! magazine, he initially was frustrated when taking photos of Boerhavia repens (Nyctaginaceae), because the plant closed up at night. However, it was open the next day, so he got the shot he wanted then.

In another case, the California poppy (Eschscholzia cali-fornica, Papaveraceae) is open only during the day, he said, but he wanted it to open at night, so he put it in a vase and trained it to be 12 hours off. “So, sometimes there’s a little trickery, and sometimes you just work with what you have,” he said.

Two of Burrows’ favorite plants that he has photographed with UVIVF are lacy phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia, Boraginaceae) and largeflower phacelia (Phacelia grandi-flora). “Both produced these really good mixes of colors, with some oranges, greens, purples, and reds, and they are very radiant-looking and sort of warm and inviting,” he said.

On the other hand, Burrows can think of two plants that were particularly difficult. One was bird’s eyes (Gilia tricolor, Polemoniaceae), which is a California annual plant. The flowers move more than almost anything he has photo-graphed. “All of my shots that I did, they were just curling up,” he said. The other was Massonia hirsuta (Asparagaceae), which is a South African plant. Because of how the flow-ers are positioned in the leaves, the dirt is visible, and if the leaves have water spots or dust, it can’t be removed because the leaves are hairy, he said. “Those two gave me so much trouble that I actually scrapped all the photos.”

Burrows said he thinks this technique is not more widely or commonly used maybe partly because it is challenging and some people may not have the patience for it. “There are some plants that just sort of flop with this technique,” he said. “They’re not beautiful, or they’re not very fluores-cent. So, I think there’s a lack of immediate reward for it.”

He noted that good-quality short-wavelength light sources have become much less expensive and more acces-sible for the average person over the past 20 or 30 years. The UV light he recommends to beginners costs around $25, for example. So, a heyday for this may be arriving, he said.

The technique can also effectively be used to photograph scorpions and other arthropods. Burrows took his light to the redwood forest closest to him, Big Basin Redwoods State Park in California. “I found the entire floor was covered in millipedes — hundreds of intensely fluorescent millipedes,” he said.

Some species may derive evolutionary benefits from exhibiting f luorescence. For example, one study found that the Venus f lytrap (Dionaea muscipula, Droseraceae) and other carnivorous plants, including pitcher plants in the genus Nepenthes (Nepenthaceae), f luoresce under UV light. The study authors proposed this f luorescence can help attract arthropods and other potential prey to the traps.8 Some species may also be f luorescent to attract pollinators, which can see UV light, but there is likely little similarity between UVIVF photography and the way bees, butterf lies, and other pollinators see plants.7

Beyond plants, UVIVF has many practical applica-tions in diverse areas. In microscopy, UVIVF is used to label proteins and analyze tissues, cells, and cellular structures.9 In forensics, it is used to identify and evaluate fibers, gunshot residue, biological f luids, fingerprints, and more.10 Recent research shows that UVIVF can provide valuable information about the pigmentation of feathers (which are found in many collections of Indigenous art) and may help identify the birds from which the feathers originated.11 Banknotes, postage stamps, and credit cards often have f luorescent security features to prevent fraud. In geology, f luorescence can be used to identify minerals, determine their locality, and differentiate between natural and synthetic gemstones.12 NASA’s Perseverance rover also has a UV laser to aid understanding of the environment on Mars.13

Burrows has tried UVIVF on almost everything he can think of: June bugs and other insects, some minerals, spiders, spider webs, tree bark, and lichens, for example.

He still wants to use the technique to photograph silver-sword plants (Argyroxiphium spp., Asteraceae), which are threatened shrubs that are endemic to Hawaii and grow on the slopes of Haleakalā volcano on Maui. “I think that is the highest on my list, but also one of the least attainable ones,” Burrows said.

For Burrows, using UVIVF has created opportunities that he would not have had otherwise, including getting to travel to Hawaii. He also was invited to the Azores, a Portuguese archipelago in the North Atlantic, to photo-graph the f lora there with UVIVF, but that did not happen because of the COVID-19 pandemic. National Geographic and other publications have featured his work,2 and he was invited to exhibit some of his work at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Taipei, Taiwan.

The results of UVIVF still sometimes surprise Burrows. “That is kind of what keeps me going,” he said. “I have some educated guesses after doing it for so long. A white petal is probably going to either be blue or pink. It’s not going to be yellow or green or something like that…. I think there is always something new to stumble across.”

Burrows said he will continue to use UVIVF photogra-phy to capture the beauty of plants. “One reason I keep acquiring new plants is so I’ll have new subjects,” he said. “It’s definitely not because I have an addiction to buying new plants or anything like that.”

More of his work can be seen on his website at www.cpburrows.com.1

46 • I S S U E 135 • 2022 • www.herbalgram.org www.herbalgram.org • 2022 • I S S U E 135 • 47www.herbalgram.org • 2022 • I S S U E 135 • 47

LavenderLavandula sp.,

Lamiaceae

LavenderLavandula sp.,Lamiaceae


Chinese ground orchid, also known as hyacinth orchid or baiji, is hardy and considered one of the few terrestrial orchids that can be grown easily.28 It is an ornamental in Europe and the United States and an important medici-nal plant in East Asia, where it is native. In the wild, it grows in sandy soil among grassy patches on cool moun-tain slopes.29 China’s national red list classifies it as an endangered species.30 International trade of the species is controlled under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which includes it in Appendix II, meaning the species is not necessarily threatened with extinction, but its trade must be controlled to ensure its long-term survival.31 In spring, it produces small, pinkish-purple flowers, similar to Cattleya spp. (Orchidaceae) flowers, in clusters on naked stalks. The genus name Bletilla honors Luis Blet, a Spanish apothecary who had a botanical garden in Algeciras, Spain, toward the end of the 18th century.32 The species name striata refers

to the leaves’ white striations, and the Chinese name baiji means “spreading the white color,” referring to the idea that the leaf striations spread from the white root. Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing, a Chinese herbal text compiled between 206 BCE and 220 CE, lists baiji as a botanical drug. Since then, the plant has been used for chronic cough and lung-related afflictions, including tuberculosis, and inflammation of the trachea associated with bronchitis. The root is used as a hemostatic to treat hematemesis (vomiting blood), hemop-tysis (coughing up blood), and traumatic bleeding, due to its reported astringent actions. Externally, root poultices have been applied to carbuncles, chapped hands and feet, sores, swelling, and ulcers. The root also has been used for scalds, burns, and chilblains (inflamed skin from cold, non-freezing air).28,29 In one study, embolization (a procedure that stops blood flow to targeted areas) with B. striata was more effective than conventional gelfoam embolization in people with inoperable liver cancer.33

Chinese Ground OrchidBletilla striata, Orchidaceae


AloeAloe sp., Asphodelaceae


“Aloe” may derive from Hebrew and Arabic words mean-ing “bitter” due to the bitter yellow exudate (latex) derived from the leaf. Ancient Egyptians reportedly considered aloe a “sanctuary plant of immortality” and used it as a funer-ary gift to pharaohs dating back to about 4000 BCE. In the first century CE, Greek physician Dioscorides and Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder wrote about aloe’s many benefits. The biblical book of John mentions “a mixture of myrrh and aloes” was used to prepare Jesus’ body for burial. It is possible that in this context “aloes” refers to Aquilaria agallocha (Thymelaeaceae), but some experts maintain it refers to Aloe vera. Also called “true aloe,” A. vera is one of the most common aloe species. A perennial that can grow to three feet tall with dense rosettes of succulent leaves, it likely originated to the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula. When applied to the skin, the clear, colorless leaf paren-chyma, commonly called aloe gel, has been used to treat abrasions, acne, frostbite, psoriasis, sores caused by the

herpes simplex virus, sunburns, and skin damage due to UV radiation. It also has been taken orally to treat condi-tions including irritable bowel disease and diabetes and sometimes is added as a nutritional ingredient to beverages. The bitter yellow exudate, taken orally, is used for laxative effects and is the source of laxative drugs documented in official pharmacopeias.23-25 In clinical trials, A. vera has shown antibacterial, pain-relieving, wound-healing, and other effects in people with various conditions.26 However, some concerns have been raised about potential toxicity of aloe preparations due to the compound aloin, which may be carcinogenic if ingested in large amounts for long peri-ods. However, typical aloe juice products contain less than 5 ppm of aloin.23 A 1989 NASA study, which researched ways to clean air in buildings and space structures, found A. vera can effectively remove formaldehyde, a common air pollutant, from the air.27

Pink lady’s slipper or pink moccasin flower is the most common of the six lady’s slipper orchid (Cypripedium) species of east-ern North America.41 Its single, showy, magenta to whitish-pink flower blooms on a stalk that emerges from the plant’s two basal leaves. Bees pollinate the flow-ers and enter the flower pouch through a slit but cannot exit through this slit due to its in-folded margins. Instead, they exit by passing under the flower’s stigma and one of the anthers and thus deposit any pollen they carry before picking up more pollen.42,43 The genus name Cypripedium derives from the Greek words for Cyprus, the supposed birthplace of the goddess Aphrodite (Venus), and pedilon, meaning “shoe,” due to the inflated or pouched flower lip. The plant’s roots were used instead of valerian (Valeriana officinalis, Caprifoliaceae) for sedative effects. In 1822, American herbal-ist Samuel Thomson wrote: “The powder [of the root/rhizome] is the best nervine known.” In 1828, polymath C.S. Rafin-esque also noted the roots’ nervine, sedative, and antispasmodic effects. In the 19th and 20th centuries, tons of lady’s slipper roots entered the North American herb trade. In 1913, Elizabeth G. Britton of the New York Botanical Garden warned that C. acaule “is becoming extinct.” In 1988, botanist, author, and photographer Steven Foster (1957–2022) introduced a resolution to the International Herb Growers and Marketers Association requesting that members (and others in the horticultural and herb trade) refrain from trade in wild-harvested lady’s slippers. Mark Blumenthal, the founder and executive director of the American Botani-cal Council, introduced the same resolution to the American Herbal Products Associa-tion (AHPA) shortly thereafter. This was AHPA’s first trade recommendation and one of the first attempts by an herb indus-try association to restrict trade to conserve a threatened species.41 This species also is listed in CITES Appendix II to control its international trade and ensure its survival.44 Now, thousands of lady’s slippers have become re-established in the wild.41

Pink Lady’s SlipperCypripedium acaule,

Orchidaceae


Cannabis, hemp, or marijuana likely evolved in Central Asia and, for millennia, has been grown for grain and fiber and medicinal, recreational, and ritualistic uses. Residues from the eastern Pamirs region in western China indi-cate cannabis was burned during mortuary ceremonies around 500 BCE, and people there may have cultivated and selected cannabis plants with higher levels of psychoactive

compounds. Greek historian Herodotus’ The Histories (fifth century BCE) describes how people in the Caspian steppe region smoked cannabis.34 Much later, cannabis was grown widely in the American colonies, where it was used to make clothing, paper, sails, and rope, and its seeds were eaten.35 In the 1800s, William O’Shaughnessy (1809–1889), an Irish physician who studied medicinal uses of cannabis in

India, lectured in Britain about his experience, including success, with Indian hemp.36 Sir John Russell Reynolds (1828–1896), Queen Victo-ria’s physician, found cannabis useful for conditions includ-ing facial neuralgia, migraine, and dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramps). In 1964, the structure of cannabis’ main psychoactive compound, tetrahydrocannab-inol (THC), was determined, which enabled more discover-ies in cannabinoid research.37 In the 1990s, the discovery of the endocannabinoid system (ECS, a biochemical signaling system that is involved with normal physiological func-tions and mediates cannabis’ effects in the body) renewed interest in using cannabis for nervous system disorders like epilepsy.38 Epidiolex® (GW Pharmaceuticals; Cambridge, UK), an oral solution contain-ing cannabidiol (CBD, a non-intoxicating cannabinoid), is the first US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug that contains a purified substance from cannabis and the first FDA-approved drug to treat Dravet syndrome, a rare, severe form of epilepsy. It also represents a new class of antiseizure medi-cation. In one recent study, CBD significantly inhibited replication of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in human lung cells and mice.39 Cannabis also is used for effects on appetite, intraoc-ular pressure, pain relief, sleep, and much more.40

CannabisCannabis sp., Cannabaceae


This evergreen perennial is among the most common orchids of the eastern United States and is listed in CITES Appen-dix II to control its international trade and ensure its survival.52,53 It is native to dry to mesic (moderate-moisture) wood-lands, bluffs, wooded slopes, and wooded ravines from Quebec to Minnesota south to Oklahoma and Florida and some-times grows out of moss. Its blue-green leaves, which have a white central stripe and a network of white veins, form a basal rosette. In summer, a downy (hairy) flower stalk rises from the center of each rosette, and small, white to greenish-white, rounded, bee-pollinated flowers bloom in a dense cluster.52,54,55 Typical of orchids, it has a mycorrhizal relationship, and, in this case, interacts closely with fungi in the genus Tulasnella, which help the plant acquire nutrients, while the fungi are not known to derive any benefit.56 The plant’s common name owes to its downy flower stalks, its leaf markings that supposedly resemble rattlesnake skin, and its leaf rosette that resembles the leaf arrangement of some plantains (Plantago spp., Plantaginaceae). The genus name Goodyera honors British botanist John Goodyer (1592–1664), and the species name pubescens means “downy.”54 The Delaware Native American tribe used the root to treat lung infections, aching bones, and as a prophy-lactic after childbirth. The Mohegan tribe used the plant to prevent infections in the mouth (probably thrush) in babies. Native Americans and European settlers ate the plant and made fresh leaf poultices to treat scrofula (a disease in which Myco-bacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis, infects the lymph nodes). A decoction of an unspecified plant part was used to clean sores. The leaves were used to treat cancers, lupus, and ulcers and made into tea, which reportedly increased appetite and relieved colds and kidney ailments. The plant also was used to treat rabies, and macerated leaves were applied to rattlesnake bites.33,54

Downy Rattlesnake PlantainGoodyera pubescens, Orchidaceae


Native to western North America, from southern Wash-ington south to Baja California, this resilient, widespread perennial has single, silky, four-petaled flowers that are typically bright orange. Some cultivars are white, pink, red, lilac, and purple.45-47 Traditionally, the aerial parts have been used to treat anxiety, depression, migraines, pain (including neuralgia), and to promote sleep.48 In 1816, during the voyage of Otto von Kotzebue’s ship Rurik, Adel-bert von Chamisso, a French-German naturalist, collected the type specimen of the California poppy near San Fran-cisco. He named the genus Eschscholzia after his friend Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz, the ship’s surgeon and entomologist. The species reportedly was introduced to English gardens in the 19th century.46,49 In 1890, phar-maceutical company Parke-Davis’ catalog included a liquid extract of this herb and called it an “excellent soporific [sleep-inducing agent] and analgesic, above all harmless.” It was compared to morphine but without some of morphine’s adverse effects (constipation, addiction).48 In 1903, the

species, an important part of California’s iconography, became the official state flower of the “Golden State.” In spring and summer, the flowers, perhaps florally symbol-izing the “fields of gold” of the California Gold Rush, bloom along roadsides and other disturbed sites through-out the state. California poppy has been grown in most of the United States and spread around the world.46,47,49 The European Medicines Agency, which develops European Union herbal monographs for labeling of registered herbal medicinal products, concluded that “on the basis of its long-standing use, California poppy can be used for the relief of mild symptoms of mental stress and to aid sleep.”50 Health Canada also has an official labeling standards monograph for California poppy when used as an active ingredient of licensed natural health products.51 Herbalists commonly use it, often in tincture form, for sleep disorders, especially overexcitement and sleeplessness, and as an antispasmodic (to suppress spasms).48

California PoppyEschscholzia californica,

Papaveraceae


This large, long-lived deciduous shade tree is native to warm temperate areas of eastern North America and tropi-cal montane regions of Mexico and Central America,64 with a notable disjunction between United States popula-tions and Mesoamerican cloud forest populations.65 Sweet gum grows best in rich, moist, alluvial clay and the loamy soils of river bottoms. It is a popular ornamental due to its glossy, star-shaped leaves, which are fragrant when bruised and typically have five-pointed lobes. They resemble maple (Acer spp., Sapindaceae) leaves and turn a brilliant mixture of yellows, oranges, purples, and reds in fall. However, the tree’s ball-shaped fruits are widely considered a litter nuisance. An important hardwood in the southeastern United States, sweet gum is used for lumber, plywood, veneer, and more. The genus name Liquidambar, species name styraciflua (meaning “flowing with storax”), and common name “sweet gum” owe to the balsamic oleoresin that exudes from wounds in the tree. Called American storax/styrax or copalm balsam, the clear, reddish or yellow resin has a honey-like consistency when fresh but hardens

when exposed to air. Still official in the United States Phar-macopeia (USP) today, American storax entered the USP in the second revision in 1840. It has an aromatic fragrance and a mild, pleasant flavor and has been used in cosmetics and soaps, as a chewing gum, flavoring, incense, and perfume, and to treat catarrh (mucus in the nose, lung, or throat), coughs, dysentery, sores, and wounds.64,66,67 English natu-ralist Mark Catesby (1683–1749) noted that Native Ameri-cans chewed it, “esteeming it a Preservative of their Teeth,” and American naturalist Benjamin Smith Barton (1766–1815) wrote that the tree “has been used, with advantage, in diarrhea.”67 The leaf essential oil is chemically similar to tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia, Myrtaceae) oil.68 Sweet gum also contains significant amounts of shikimic acid, a compound used as a precursor of the anti-influenza medi-cation oseltamivir (Tamiflu®), although star anise (Illicium verum, Schisandraceae) typically is used to source shikimic acid for oseltamivir.67 One study showed sweet gum can also help reforest Mexican cloud forests.69

Sweet GumLiquidambar styraciflua, Altingiaceae

Called lion’s tail, lion’s ear, or wild dagga, this tender, woody, tropical shrub is native to South Africa and considered one of the mint family’s most striking ornamentals.57,58 The Red List of South African Plants classifies it as a species of “least concern,” meaning it is at low risk of extinction.59 It was one of the first plants intro-duced from South Africa to European gardens, was grown in the Netherlands as early as the 1660s, and now is grown around the world. In gardens, it typically grows to about five feet tall, but can reach seven feet. Its vibrant, tubular, two-lipped flowers (typical of the mint family) are velvety and orange, grow in tiered whorls that encircle the square stem, and are popular with sunbirds. The opposite, oblong or lance-shaped leaves are aromatic when bruised. The genus name Leonotis derives from the Greek words for “lion” and “ear,” because the flower petals resemble a lion’s ear, and the species name leonurus means “lion’s tail.”57,58,60 Traditionally, the leaves have been smoked to treat epilepsy and made into tea for supposed hypnotic effects. When smoked, the leaves and flowers reportedly produce euphoric effects similar to but weaker than cannabis, but these effects are not well understood. An infusion and decoction of the leaf and stem have been used internally for bron-chitis, cold, cough, diabetes, diarrhea, dysentery, headaches, high blood pressure, influenza, viral hepatitis, and as an emetic for snakebites. Exter-nally, decoctions of the plant have been used for boils, eczema, hemorrhoids, itching, muscu-lar cramps, and skin disease. More than 50 compounds have been isolated from L. leonurus, which contains terpenoids, including marru-biin. The plant also contains resin and essential oil.58,61,62 In one study, the essential oil showed broad-spectrum antibacterial activity.63

Lion’s TailLeonotis leonurus, Lamiaceae



Probably native to northeastern Africa, this fast-growing, tender shrub now is distributed around the world and can be invasive.70,71 It is the only species in its genus and known for its smooth, shiny, mottled seeds, sometimes called “castor beans,” which yield benefi-cial castor oil but also ricin, one of the most poisonous known substances in nature. Ricin is not soluble in oil and remains in the press cake after the oil is extracted. Each seed has a structure called an elaiosome that attracts ants, which feed the fatty, nutritious elaiosomes to their larvae and then disperse the still-viable seeds.72 The genus name Ricinus is Latin for “tick” because the seeds resemble ticks (e.g., Ixodes ricinus), and the species name communis means “common.” “Castor” may derive from its use as a more ethical replacement for casto-reum, an aromatic oily secretion from beavers’ “castor sacs” (“castor” is Latin for “beaver” and also the name of one of the mythical twins Castor and Pollux).70,72,73 Castor oil has long been used as a lubricating laxative to relieve constipation and as a purgative.73 The FDA clas-sifies castor oil as an over-the-counter stimulant laxative active ingredient in Category I, meaning it is generally recognized as safe and effective (GRASE).74 Ricinoleic acid from the oil and its derivatives may have benefits for skin health. The oil also is used in the manufactur-ing of many products, including adhesives, cosmetics, hydraulic brake fluids, inks, sealants, soaps, varnishes, and waxes, and once was used as lamp oil. From World War I until the 1960s, castor oil was used as a lubricant for aircraft. By World War II, the United States report-edly had developed and tested, but never implemented, a ricin-containing bomb. Perhaps the most famous case of ricin poisoning was Georgi Markov, a Bulgarian writer and dissident who, in 1978, died after an assassin stabbed him in the leg with an umbrella tipped with a ricin-containing pellet.72,75

CastorRicinus communis,

Euphorbiaceae


Pitcher PlantSarracenia sp.,

Sarraceniaceae



Yucca, Adam’s needle, or needle palm is an evergreen shrub native to beaches, sand dunes, and fields of the southeastern United States and Mexico. It has escaped cultivation and extended into New England.76,77 The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists this species in the category of “least concern.”78 The plant’s sword-shaped leaves, with sharp tips and long, curly, filamentous threads along the margins, grow in a rosette near the ground. The creamy white or pale yellow bell-shaped flowers attract hummingbirds and hang loosely in clusters on a stalk that rises from the center of each rosette.76,77 The Catawba, Cherokee, Nanticoke, and other Native Americans have used the plant for many purposes. The roots contain saponins and were boiled and pounded for use instead of soap, made into a salve or poultice to treat sprains and skin sores, and used to treat gonorrhea and rheumatism. Pounded roots were thrown in water to “intoxicate fishes,” reportedly enabling an easier catch. The plant also was used as a sedative, and an infusion was used for diabetes. Flowers were eaten raw and cooked. The long leaf fibers are among the strongest of any North

American plant and have been twisted into cordage for binding and making baskets, clothing, fishing lines, and fishing nets.77 In 1892, British-American entomologist Charles Valentine Riley described the mutualistic relationship between yucca and a moth he called Pronuba yuccasella (now Tegeticula yucca-sella). He noted the plant’s pollen-producing anthers are not near its pollen-receiving stigmas, preventing fertilization without aid. At night, when yucca’s peri-anth opens, the moth emerges and moves from plant to plant, collecting pollen, packing it into stigmatic openings, and ensuring cross-fertilization. The moth’s larvae depend on yucca seeds for food but mature before they can consume all the seeds, so most seeds remain viable.79

YuccaYucca filamentosa,Asparagaceae


AcknowledgmentsThe author would like to thank Craig Burrows, the late

botanist and photographer Steven Foster, and HerbalGram Art Director Matthew Magruder for their help with this article.

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22. Nehdi I. Characteristics, chemical composition and utilisation of Albizia julibrissin seed oil. Ind Crops Prod. 2011;33(1):30-34. doi: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2010.08.004.

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29. He X, Wang X, Fang J, et al. Bletilla striata: Medicinal uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological activities. J Ethnopharmacol. 2017;195:20-38. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2016.11.026.

30. Qin H, Yang Y, Dong S, et al. Threatened species list of China’s higher plants. Biodiv Sci. 2017;25(7):696-744. doi: 10.17520/biods.2017144.

31. Bletilla striata. Species Plus website. Available at: www.speciesplus.net/species#/taxon_concepts/16905/legal. Accessed July 21, 2022.

32. Bletilla striata. Missouri Botanical Garden website. Available at: www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=283860. Accessed June 28, 2022.

33. Teoh ES. Orchids as Aphrodisiac, Medicine or Food. Cham, Switzer-land: Springer Nature Switzerland; 2019.

34. Ren M, Tang Z, Wu X, et al. The origins of cannabis smoking: Chemical residue evidence from the first millennium BCE in the Pamirs. Sci Adv. 2019;5(6). doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aaw1391.

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38. Friedman D, Devinsky O. Cannabinoids in the treatment of epilepsy. N Engl J Med. 2015;373:1048-1058. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra1407304.

39. Nguyen LC, Yang D, Nicolaescu V, et al. Cannabidiol inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication through induction of the host ER stress and innate immune responses. Sci Adv. 2022;8(8): eabi6110. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abi6110.

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41. Foster S. Lady’s Slipper: Once a Commercial Conundrum, Now a Conservation Success Story. HerbalGram. 2021;131:40-51.

42. McGhan PJR. Pink Lady’s Slipper (Cypripedium acaule Ait.). US Forest Service website. Available at: www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/cypripedium_acaule.shtml. Accessed June 29, 2022.

43. Davis RW. The Pollination Biology of Cypripedium acaule (Orchidaceae). Rhodora. 1986;88(856):445-450.

44. Cypripedium acaule. Species Plus website. Available at: www.speciesplus.net/species#/taxon_concepts/21770/legal. Accessed July 21, 2022.

45. Eschscholzia californica. Missouri Botanical Garden website. Avail-able at: www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinder-Details.aspx?kempercode=b753. Accessed June 29, 2022.

46. Nelson JK. California poppy (Eschscholzia californica). US Forest Service website. Available at: www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/eschscholzia_californica.shtml. Accessed June 29, 2022.

47. California Poppy. California Department of Fish and Wildlife website. Available at: https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Plants/California-Poppy. Accessed June 29, 2022.

48. Eschscholzia. ScienceDirect website. Available at: www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/eschschol-zia. Accessed June 29, 2022.

49. Still SM. A Profusion of Poppy Confusion. UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden website. August 17, 2021. Available at: https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/news/profusion-of-poppy-confusion. Accessed June 29, 2022.

50. Eschscholziae herba. European Medicines Agency website. Available at: www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/herbal/eschscholziae-herba. Accessed June 29, 2022.


51. California Poppy — Eschscholzia californica. Health Canada website. Available at: http://webprod.hc-sc.gc.ca/nhpid-bdipsn/atReq.do?atid=california.poppy.pavot&lang=eng. Accessed July 21, 2022.

52. Koers C. Downy Rattlesnake Plantain (Goodyera pubescens). US Forest Service website. Available at: www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/goodyera_pubes-cens.shtml. Accessed June 30, 2022.

53. Goodyera pubescens. Species Plus website. Available at: www.speciesplus.net/species#/taxon_concepts/58974/legal. Accessed July 21, 2022.

54. Goodyera pubescens. Missouri Botanical Garden website. Available at: www.missouri-botanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=245922. Accessed June 30, 2022.

55. Hayden WJ. 2016 Virginia Wildflower of the Year: Downy Rattlesnake Plantain, Goodyera pubescens. University of Richmond website. Available at: https://scholar-ship.richmond.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1167&context=biology-faculty-publications. Accessed June 30, 2022.

56. McCormick MK, Whigham DF, Sloan D, O’Malley K, Hodkinson B. Orchid-fungus fidelity: A marriage meant to last? Ecology. 2006;87(4):903-911. doi: 10.1890/0012-9658(2006)87[903:OFAMMT]2.0.CO;2.

57. Leonotis leonurus. Missouri Botanical Garden website. Available at: www.missouri-botanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a525. Accessed June 30, 2022.

58. Foster S. Herbal Renaissance: Growing, Using and Understanding Herbs in the Modern World. Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith; 1993.

59. Wild Dagga. South African National Biodiversity Institute website. Available at: https://redlist.sanbi.org/species.php?species=1702-15. Accessed July 21, 2022.

60. Schmidt E, Lötter M, McCleland W. Trees and Shrubs of Mpumalanga and Kruger National Park. Johannesburg, South Africa: Jacana; 2004.

61. El-Ansari MA, Aboutabl EA, Farrag ARH, et al. Phytochemical and pharma-cological studies on Leonotis leonurus. Pharm Biol. 2009;47(9):894-902. doi: 10.1080/13880200902942428.

62. Nsuala BN, Enslin G, Viljoen A. “Wild cannabis”: A review of the traditional use and phytochemistry of Leonotis leonurus. J Ethnopharmacol. 2015;174:520-39. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2015.08.013.

63. Oyedeji OA, Afolayan AJ, Eloff JN. Comparative study of the essential oil compo-sition and antimicrobial activity of Leonotis leonurus and L. ocymifolia in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. S Afr J Bot. 2005;71(1):114-116. doi: 10.1016/S0254-6299(15)30160-5.

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65. Ruiz-Sanchez E, Ornelas JF. Phylogeography of Liquidambar styraciflua (Altingiaceae) in Mesoamerica: Survivors of a Neogene widespread temperate forest (or cloud forest) in North America? Ecol Evol. 2014;4(4):311-328. doi: 10.1002/ece3.938.

66. Liquidambar styraciflua. Missouri Botanical Garden website. Avail-able at: www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c116. Accessed June 30, 2022.

67. Foster S. Forest Gems: Exploring Medicinal Trees in American Forests. HerbalGram. 2017;116:50-71.

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Lacy PhaceliaPhacelia tanacetifolia,

Boraginaceae



Although its name indi-cates it is an “American” association, AHPA is now a global endeavor, with 400 member companies across five continents. The orga-nization has 18 committees that represent key areas of the herbal products indus-try, from analytical labo-ratories to sustainability, and it provides important resources like the Botanical Safety Handbook, 2nd ed. (CRC Press, 2013),2 and Herbs of Commerce, 2nd ed. (AHPA, 2000).3 AHPA also has been a leader and central player regarding self-regulatory efforts in the industry.4

AHPA President Michael McGuffin, who first served on the AHPA board in 1990 and became president of the asso-ciation in 1999, said it feels “fabulous” to reach this milestone. He also noted that despite four decades in a quickly evolving industry and many changes in the perception of AHPA’s role within the industry, the association is right where it wants to be. “We have moved along and engaged in strategic planning over the years as we envisioned,” he said (oral communication, February 9, 2022). “We still have a vision for the future, but we have arrived at the role and area of service we intended right from the beginning.”

Although the push and pull between industry and regulators will certainly continue, McGuffin added, “AHPA will continue to advocate for broad unfet-

tered access and informed consumer education about dietary supplements and herbs.”

AHPA’s Early YearsAHPA had to bridge

some significant industry opinion gaps over the past four decades. Its predeces-sor organization, the Herb Trade Association (HTA),

founded in 1976, did not last long due to cultural conflicts, McGuffin noted. “I have said for years that AHPA was founded by hippies and Mormons. It’s just true,” he said. “We had Nature’s Way, Nature’s Herbs, and Nature’s

Sunshine and others in Utah, the coastal companies like Traditional Medicinals [founded by Drake Sadler and Rose-mary Gladstar], and Sweethardt Herbs in Texas, founded by Mark Blumenthal. But it got complicated.”

Some of those complications included major differences of opinion, a wide variety of priorities, and few resources, with members volunteering their time. For example, research and compiling a library of scientific material were impor-tant to Rob McCaleb, an HTA member who ran the quality and research labo-ratories at Celestial Seasonings at the time (from 1976 to 1989). While he was involved with HTA, McCaleb, along with Blumenthal, the founder and exec-utive director of the American Botan-ical Council (ABC), co-founded the Herb Research Foundation (HRF) in

1983 to focus on compiling this library and distributing information to research-ers, practitioners, and the public.5 “We wanted to get past the difficulties and focus on the science, acknowledging that physicians and pharmacists learn very little about herbs in school and what they do learn is from other physicians and pharmacists, so they often had a negative attitude about botanicals and dietary supplements* — that they were unproven and probably unsafe,” McCa-leb said in a March 2022 presentation at AHPA’s annual meeting at Natural Prod-ucts Expo West in Anaheim, Califor-nia. At the time, he saw that high-qual-ity research made even skeptics become more receptive. Informing the public and practitioners became the mission of HRF.

The importance of industry communi-cations and community also became clear. During HTA’s five-year existence, relationships started developing and “many of us, especially the founding board members of HTA, started to form those communities,” said Blumenthal, a former founding board member and president of HTA and a founding board member of AHPA (email communication, April 5, 2022).

That sense of community — and the realization that the young industry needed an organization to help promote cohesion and establish communication, standards, and more — may be why a small group of those people came back together after HTA disbanded to make it work. That was the beginning of AHPA.

McGuffin believes that a trade association proves its worth in the first few years of existence, and he offered kudos to those who were there from the beginning of AHPA. One of those people was Peter Landes of KHL Flavors (Maspeth, New York), who served as the first AHPA board chair from 1982 to 1986. Landes, like others from the early days, recalled a very informal, collaborative atmosphere.

“I attended the first formative meeting of AHPA with about 30 indus-try members,” Landes said (email, March 22, 2022). “I recall the focus of the meet-ing was to form a trade asso-ciation with the first initia-tive to be the defense of spirulina [Arthrospira spp.] — a hot item at the time and the focus of a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

crackdown.” Some attendees wanted to confront the FDA on this topic. “I, along with a few others, expressed that view and that this confrontation would not only fail but also doom the incipi-ent trade association to irrelevance or worse,” Landes added.

Landes immediately appointed a founding board of people he “knew were competent.” The names read like a “who’s who” of industry pioneers (Table 1). “I also received much support from Ken Murdock [owner of Nature’s Way], Drake Sadler, Barry Meltzer [founder and owner of San Francisco Herb & Natural Food Company], and the oh-so-indispensable Lynda LeMole [Traditional Medicinals].”

“Peter is a great guy and quite a char-acter,” recalled Loren Israelsen during the AHPA Expo West presentation.

“His campaign platform was: ‘We will hold a golf tournament once a year here [at Expo West] and that’s all. This was actually a brilliant strategy,” he added. “Peter is a smart guy, and he knew that we needed to do something that we could all agree on.”

LeMole, who was president and co-owner of Traditional Medicinals (Sebastopol, California) and served as AHPA’s second president** from 1986 to 1990, recalled early meet-ings where they discussed everything from golf to herbal issues. “We talked about why we needed to be an organiza-tion,” LeMole said (oral communication, March 21, 2022). It came down to the fact, she noted, “that there were lots of threats to the herbal industry, with common herbs being listed as safety concerns.”

Before DSHEA, she added, herbs did not have a regula-tory category and were regulated by an informal and inter-nal FDA document put in place in November 1975 called Herb Ratings by the FDA. This document, which evalu-ated 171 herbs offered for sale in teas, noted that 27 were

“unsafe,” 53 were of “unde-fined safety,” and the remain-ing 91 were “safe.”6 The industry was seeing increas-ing FDA actions like that at the time, said Israelsen in his presentation, noting that FDA aggression against herbs was growing, so the need for a trade group was palpable.5

The push for AHPA, LeMole said, “was to quell safety concerns and get a dialogue going with FDA and try to put in place a

AHPA reaches milestone as the leading herbal products industry trade group in the United States

Table 1. Founding Board Members of AHPA

Chair: Peter Landes (KHL Flavors)†

Vice-chair: Loren Israelsen (Nature’s Way)Treasurer: Jim Adelson (Aphrodisia)Secretary: Chuck Stevens (Botanicals International) Public relations: Bob Levy (Natural Packaging)Other members: Mark Blumenthal (Sweethardt Herbs) and Rob McCaleb (Celestial Seasonings)

Source: AHPA

† The companies in parentheses are the members’ affiliations at the time of AHPA’s founding in 1982.

By Karen Raterman

The idea of turning 40 may or may not seem momentous in the grand scheme of things. But in trade association years, reaching the 40-year mark is a significant achievement — especially in a modern US industry that is, itself, not much older. This longevity involves trailblazing, education, community building, and, perhaps most impor-tantly, a leap of faith. All these attributes describe the daily workings of the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), which was founded in 1982 and is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2022.1

The American Herbal Products Association at 40

* The term “dietary supplement” was not coined until the passage of DSHEA in 1994. They were usually called “food supplements” in the early 1980s.

** From inception, AHPA leaders served voluntarily as president of the board and were voted into office annually by members. However, as of 1999, the position of president became a full-time, paid position hired by the AHPA board. McGuffin was the first and only person to serve in this capacity. AHPA now refers to the industry leader as board chair, a position elected by the seated board.

AHPA’s Herbs of Commerce, 2nd ed.

AHPA’s Botanical Safety Handbook, 2nd ed.


self-regulatory framework around identi-fication of herbs and early contamina-tion problems that inevitably happen in any industry.” It was a daunting task, she said, adding that the organization was still loosely put together and needed everything from budgets to committees and records.

It was also a time when members forged ahead because they did not have much to lose, according to Peggy Brevoort, co-founder and former CEO of East Earth Herb, Inc. (Eugene, Oregon). “I remember thinking at the time that a trade organiza-tion was a way to grow my business, never mind the industry or the category,” she said (oral communication, March 18, 2022). “We just loved the herbs, and we wanted to share them with people. If we could make enough money to pay the bills and buy groceries, then we were good.”

As the fledgling organization took shape, community spirit within AHPA began to flourish. “[I]t struck me that I had finally found a group of like-minded people from around the country who had discovered [a love of] herbs,” Brevoort said. “We were enthusiastic but separated, so we came together with a lot of passion and learned things we didn’t know. It fueled the fire. All of a sudden you were talking with people who knew about some other herb that might grow in the South, versus what we were growing in the Pacific North-west. It was like meeting an old friend you didn’t know you had.” The community was also important, Brevoort added, because “we didn’t have a legal category [for herbs per se], and most people thought we were quacks and crazies.”

It was a very exciting time for herb companies, LeMole said, “because they were part of an herbal renaissance. We had a great wind at our backs and growing consumer interest in the natural products industry.”

One of the early priorities within AHPA was the formation of a communications committee, which was led by Blumenthal and, among other things, established a newsletter initially published for both AHPA and HRF. This newsletter, called “Herbalgram” (the “g” was capitalized beginning with issue 7 in 1985), was the official communication organ for AHPA from 1983 to 1988. Then, HerbalGram was moved under the aegis of the newly formed ABC and continued under the leadership of Blumenthal, who served as editor and publisher.

Communications were important, primarily because some big issues needed to be addressed. For at least a decade before AHPA was founded, the FDA had been ramping up restrictions on herbal products and supplements and proposed limits on the vitamins levels, for example. The so-called “Proxmire Amendment” of 1976, a bill that Sena-tor William Proxmire (D-WI) (1915–2005) sponsored, eventually countered these limits and prevented the FDA from setting relatively low concentration levels for vitamins and mineral supplements.7

It was a very difficult regulatory environment, recalled McCaleb. “People don’t realize how tough the regulatory mindset was at the time,” he said in his remarks at Expo West. “It was illegal to say coffee was a stimulant. FDA believed that any physiological effect from food made it a drug, and that was their guiding principal.”

Although the tide began to turn with the Proxmire Amendment, the time period was the start of a long but necessary learning curve for the herbal products indus-try, according to Israelsen. “That was the first moment we realized we had Congressional champions as well as a lot of consumers who deeply supported these issues. It was a fundamental learning [period] we had to go through, but we felt very alone at that time. There was a critical sense that ‘We’ve got big problems, if this is what [regulators] are going to do.’” Senator Proxmire was a tremendous champion, Israelsen added, and “without him, the US market would be like any other market around the world, and we’d all be taking mini vitamins [with very limited and low dosages] and that’s about it.”

Another landmark ruling in 1983, Fmali versus Heckler, a case not often noted in herbal histories, helped lead to a better understanding of herbal products.8 Fmali, a company importing herbs from China, founded by Ben Zaricor and Louise Veninga, filed suit against FDA, arguing that herbs with documentation of safe use anywhere in the world should be evaluated for safe human consumption in the United States. The case was important because it allowed for safety and use data from other countries to be considered in demonstrating that an ingredient was generally recognized as safe (GRAS) as a food substance or additive.9 Before that, LeMole explained, the FDA narrowly interpreted the “common use in food” provision to mean common use in the United States only. But many herbs came from around the world, she explained, with well-established and safe traditional uses as food ingredients. “We recognized the current and historical significance of this case at the time,” added Blumenthal. “It was the top story in the second issue of ‘Herbalgram’ when Rob McCaleb and I were publishing it as a newsletter for AHPA and HRF.”9

The Volatile ’80s and ’90sBy the mid-1980s, Landes believed that while he had

helped to build the foundation for a cohesive, function-ing trade association, it was time for some new leadership. And he knew someone who he thought could fill that role: Lynda LeMole, who, he said, was competent, hardworking, and well liked.

When LeMole became president of the AHPA board in 1986, she recognized that the work ahead involved AHPA’s structural issues, the continuing fight against unworkable regulations, and the need for category-specific regulation. “During my tenure, claims were really the next frontier,” she said. “Up to the early ’90s, it was about safety, identity, processing, and standards. We also needed a list of common names, so we created an amazing document spearheaded by our first Standards Committee chair and a remarkable researcher, Timothy Moley [who was working for Frontier Herbs at the time and later became founder and CEO of Chocolove®].”

Moley initiated early standards work, including AHPA’s Code of Ethics, an Endangered Species document, and a list of botanical common names, which later became the publication Herbs of Commerce. In 1990, AHPA produced a draft of Herbs of Commerce, which was edited by the late Steven Foster, a renowned botanical expert, author, and medicinal plant photographer. The first edition of the book was published in 1992,10 and the expanded second edition was published in 2000,3 which the FDA then accepted as an official standard for nomenclature for herbal products.11

When LeMole passed the AHPA torch in 1990, the first person she thought of was Brevoort, who had little idea of what was coming next. “Lynda made me a deal that if I took over as president of the AHPA board, she would take my call whenever I had questions,” said Brevoort. “I thought, ‘OK, I’ve got a sister. I’ve got a backup.’”

But in the 1990s, the industry was beginning to go mainstream, and Brevoort, who was president of the board from 1990 to 1994, found herself in the middle of politics at a much deeper level than she anticipated as the industry began working toward passage of seminal legislation: the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA), which was an amendment to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and established standards for dietary supplements.12

Some of AHPA’s Key Achievements (1982–2022)1982: AHPA is founded by herbal industry leaders who saw the need for an

organized, united herbal community

1985: AHPA charters its first committee: the Standards Committee

1988: AHPA adopts its first, still-standing trade requirement prohibiting trade in wild-harvested lady’s slipper orchids (Cypripedium spp., Orchidaceae)

1992: AHPA publishes the first edition of Herbs of Commerce10

1997: AHPA Foundation for Education and Research on Botanicals (AHPA-ERB Foundation) is founded as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to promote education and research on medicinal, therapeutic, and health-promoting herbs

1997: AHPA publishes the first edition of Botanical Safety Handbook

1997: AHPA submits comments to FDA’s advance notice of rulemaking on current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs)

1997: AHPA petitions FDA on its final rule for nutrition labeling of dietary supplements

2000: AHPA publishes expanded second edition of Herbs of Commerce3

2000: AHPA issues guidance on retail labeling of dietary supplements containing botanical extracts

2001: AHPA adopts guidance policy for disclosure of herb use to health care providers

2003: AHPA petitions FDA to establish adverse event reporting requirements for dietary supplements

2003: AHPA establishes guid-ance for quality standards related to microbial contaminants in herbal products, the first in a series that now includes guidance for quality standards addressing foreign matter, heavy metals, known adulterants, pesticides, and residual solvents

2004: AHPA issues Adverse Events Report (AER) guidance and initial Califor-nia Proposition 65 guidance for herbal products, which now includes separate Proposition 65 guidance documents on general herbal products, tea products, and cannabis (Cannabis spp., Cannabaceae) products

2006: AHPA publishes the first Good Stewardship Harvesting brochure on wild American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius, Araliaceae) — the first in a Good Stewardship Harvesting series that now includes brochures on saw palmetto (Serenoa repens, Arecaceae) and osha (Ligusticum porteri, Apiaceae)

2006: AHPA launches New Dietary Ingredients (NDI) Database

2010: AHPA staff and counsel meet with senior management of FDA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to discuss rational regula-tion of residues of inadvertent environmental pesticides on herbal crops

2012: AHPA hosts first Botanical Congress

2013: AHPA publishes expanded second edition of Botanical Safety Hand-book2

2015: AHPA encourages members to submit labels to the US National Insti-tutes of Health’s (NIH’s) Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD)

2016: AHPA submits comments on FDA’s second draft guidance on NDI notifications and related issues

2021: AHPA adopts trade requirements for dietary supplements labeled as organic

Source: AHPA

January 1992 AHPA Board of Trustees meeting in Austin, Texas. From left to right: Kathy Larson, Carol Dillard (former AHPA

executive director), Lynda LeMole, Mary Mulry, Peggy Brevoort (former AHPA BOT president; role now known as

board chair), Shel Weinberg, Jeff Hinrichs, and Michael McGuffin (current AHPA president).

Photo courtesy of AHPA.

AHPA logo circa 2001


The contentious relationship between the natural prod-ucts industry and FDA ramped up in the early ’90s. A flashpoint was in 1992, when the FDA raided the Tahoma Clinic, a natural medicine clinic in Washing-ton state, because the founder and medical director Jona-than Wright, MD, was administering vitamin B12 injec-tions.13,14 Although this incident did not involve orally ingested dietary supplements, it became emblematic of free-dom of choice on health-related issues. Wright was acquit-ted in 1995, but the raid, sometimes referred to as the “Vita-min B Bust,” was symbolic for those who believed FDA held a bias against natural medicine and its practitioners.15 “It became a national story and was a deep embarrassment for FDA,” Israelsen recalled.

This was followed by a two-page bill that was sponsored by Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) (1934–2022) and became the Health Freedom Act of 1992.16 FDA countered by doubling down on Commissioner David Kessler’s “food additive theory,” in which he saw botanicals as illegal food additives, and introducing the FDA Dietary Supplement Task Force Report,17 also known as the “Dykstra report” (named for its principle author, FDA official Gary Dyks-tra), in June 1993. The Dykstra report, which proposed that herbs, amino acids, and other non-nutrients would be regulated as drugs, led to a public outcry.

Israelsen recalled: “The Health Freedom Act was our declaration of independence, and the Dykstra report was FDA’s declaration of war.” This back and forth continued until Hatch, later with the support of Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Representative Bill Richardson (D-NM), intro-duced DSHEA. After a consumer letter-writing campaign that reportedly involved more letters to Congress than any other issue since the Vietnam War, a revised version of DSHEA eventually was passed and signed into law in October 1994.

Brevoort said: “Working toward the passage of DSHEA was huge for AHPA for several reasons. “We realized that we had to go into territory we never thought we would, and we had to do all this official stuff that, as hippies, we had given up on. I was raising my kids in the woods. All of a sudden, I am board chair of AHPA, and I have to go to Washington, DC. I am realizing I have to buy a suit and panty hose and put on makeup, if I can remember how.

“We learned that you do what you need to do, and we learned to deal with the government,” Brevoort added. In other words, they had to make compromises. For example, the AHPA team learned they had to support Senator Hatch, whose overall conservative politics were not always aligned with many of the liberal-leaning members of the herb industry. Ultimately, she said, AHPA supported Hatch and

in the process, learned about politics, trading favors, and how to stand for a constituency. “DSHEA’s passage,” she said, “gave a legitimate base to our growing industry, and we no longer had to worry about being shut down.”

Post-DSHEA ChallengesAfter the passage of DHSEA, AHPA had become a stable

and established organization, but challenges remained. The organization did stay small, but served the industry well, said Anthony Young, an attorney with Kleinfeld, Kaplan & Becker, LLP (Washington, DC), who represented AHPA from 1996 to 2017. “AHPA became the ‘Little Engine that Could,’” he said (oral communication, March 21, 2022).

An early regulatory challenge under DSHEA was proposed regulation of structure/function claims, which are provided in Section 5 of DSHEA. AHPA was actively involved in the conversation, Young said, and adopted a position that opposed FDA’s proposition that any dietary supplement claims that fall under any of the Over-the-Counter (OTC) Drug review categories, which would by doing so have redefined the word “disease” and potentially restricted the scope of structure/function claims under DSHEA.18

Young said: “AHPA filed comments [essentially] saying, ‘Wait a second, many of these claims are not disease claims; they are structure/function claims. We identified 70 claims that were not disease claims, and we came away with FDA agreement on 25-plus of those claims. I believe it was very significant because a lot of these claims are now [structure/function claim] categories in the dietary supplement indus-try, [such as digestive support and sexual function support]. We made a big impact, and I don’t know any other organi-zation that took the same position or addressed it the way AHPA did.”

Adverse events reporting was another important issue, and AHPA petitioned to make serious adverse event reports mandatory,19 believing that such information and diligence would be expected from a responsible industry, Young explained. “But FDA took a position against it. The fact that we proposed it and FDA opposed it meant that Congress voted to make it law,” he joked. Ultimately, he added “we were instrumental in moving that process along.” In fact, beginning in 2003, AHPA led a coordinated and successful effort for the establishment of a serious adverse event reporting (SAER) law. The Dietary Supplement and Nonprescription Drug Consumer Protection Act was signed into law on December 22, 2006.20 Young believes this has been very helpful for the industry, as serious adverse event reports are somewhat uncommon, so the feedback from the system showed that supplements are generally safe.

DSHEA created a legal and regulatory category for botanicals and other dietary supplements, and the indus-try began to see exponential growth in the 1990s and 2000s. After McGuffin joined AHPA in 1999, he became the leader that the association needed at the time, LeMole noted. “Michael McGuffin is absolutely a remarkable champion for AHPA and the herb industry. I think that we couldn’t ask for better. He is so articulate and has been able to walk that line among FDA and [the Federal Trade Commission], industry companies, and the growing asso-ciation in an excellent way.”

This effort continues today, she added, noting that when the industry saw hemp (Cannabis spp., Cannabaceae) and cannabidiol (CBD) products enter the market, AHPA formed the Cannabis Committee21 to talk with regula-tors and help shape upcoming regulations. Most recently, in March 2022, AHPA introduced the Psychedelic Plants and Fungi Committee to support safe use and responsible commerce in this emerging category.22 “I think this is an excellent example of what a trade association can do: to answer the need and call when ‘new’ ingredients emerge,” LeMole said.

Like-minded CommunityAHPA’s reputation in the industry has evolved over the

years, McGuffin said. “I think for some years AHPA was viewed as the little brother/little sister association, the one less important than the longer-established NNFA [National Nutritional Foods Association — now the Natural Products Association (NPA)] and the higher-budgeted CRN [Coun-cil for Responsible Nutrition].” But at this point, McGuffin noted, “we are seriously considered an important voice and organization with unique attributes in terms of how we engage with membership and the regulatory and legislative entities we need to deal with. We use the word ‘community’ a lot because we believe we have not just created an organiza-tion with a kind of sterile structure, but it is a community.”

Longtime AHPA members agree. Cindy Angerhofer, PhD, the executive fellow of botanical research at Aveda/ Estee Lauder Companies (Minneapolis, Minnesota), said the idea of community has been central to AHPA’s mission during her 25 years with the organization (oral communi-cation, February 28, 2022). She noted that everyone comes with their own set of expertise and needs, no matter the size or type of company. “We are all outsiders in some sense, but we are still embraced by the AHPA community,” she said.

Celebrating AHPA in 2022AHPA is implementing numerous events and activities that will encourage member participation during its 40th anniversary. One of the first programs it launched is “40 Herbs We Love,” which allows members to show-case a selection of beloved and important herbs at the heart of the industry. Member company Alkemist Labs volunteered to showcase elder berry (Sambucus nigra, Viburnaceae). The second herb on the agenda is pome-granate (Punica granatum, Lythraceae), which Verdure is highlighting on AHPA’s website. McGuffin noted that the 40 herbs are not just best-selling herbs, but rather a range of plants that represent AHPA members’ broad botanical interests.

Other community-building events include an opportunity to pay homage to the 1980s, the decade AHPA was founded. Members can submit photos of themselves, other members, friends, and industry colleagues during the ’80s. The photos will be shared in the “AHPA Report” and on social media for members and followers to guess who is who in the photos.

AHPA also is hosting a series of 40th Anniversary Herb Talks, in which members and followers can gather virtually with AHPA founders and friends in recorded chats that detail AHPA’s history and achievements. One proposed talk will focus on women in AHPA leadership from the beginning and include early AHPA board chairs like Lynda LeMole, Peggy Brevoort, and Caroline MacDougall, who began her career at Celestial Seasonings and later founded Teeccino. MacDougall was one of the tri-presidents of the HTA during its first year, along with the late Ben Zaricor and the late Barry Meltzer.

The team has planned the agenda for its 2022 Botanical Congress, a virtual event that was held in August 2022. “We don’t always do a theme, but this time, given the time and world in which we live, and the events occur-ring beyond our business existence, the theme [was] ‘Botanicals on Planet Earth 2022” to “draw attention to our role in the environment, our role in ensuring a sustainable conversation that is active, and our role in managing supply of botanicals all the way back to the source,” McGuffin said.

The AHPA team is assembling a panel of experienced industry members to discuss how they envision the indus-try will evolve in the next 25 years.

Ultimately, the events for 2022 are designed to look at the origins of the organization and stimulate dialogue about the future. “We need to start with our roots and look to the present,” McGuffin said. “Where did we come from, where are we now, and where do we need to go? We want to empanel groups to talk about these things and envision the future. I think that is a great thing to do as you reach a big milestone. But as we look at this moment and this milestone, we also have to focus on the future.”

After the passage of DHSEA, AHPA had become a stable and established organization, but challenges remained. The organization did stay small, but served the industry well, said Anthony Young, an attorney with Kleinfeld,

Kaplan & Becker, LLP (Washington, DC), who represented AHPA from 1996 to 2017. “AHPA became the ‘Little Engine that Could,’” he said.


It also helped that McGuffin is a quintessential commu-nity builder. Active in the industry since 1974, running both a retail and manufacturing business, and serving as AHPA board chair from 1995 to 1998, McGuffin has expertise in both building teams and bringing disparate groups together. He was given the ABC Mark Blumenthal Herbal Community Builder Award in 2021. “Michael is a master of important details on a wide spectrum of signifi-cant issues necessary for the success of small, medium, and large herb companies,” Blumenthal said when presenting the eponymous award. “Without his strong and seemingly tireless energy and leadership, it is questionable that the herb industry in the United States would be as successful, and as large, as it is today.”23

Another part of AHPA’s success is its attention to the plants themselves, Angerhofer added. “Above all, AHPA is a voice for the plants and the people who use their active healing entities…. To do that, they know you have to pay attention to the whole lifecycle of the plant.”

AHPA also recognized that increased knowledge of global herbal traditions and research brings more inter-est, said Beth Lambert, former AHPA board chair (2003 to 2006), and CEO of long-term AHPA member Herbalist and Alkemist in Washington, New Jersey (email, February 23, 2022). AHPA “recognizes that fads come and go, and no one herb is a panacea,” she explained, adding that the orga-nization realizes that increased demand can have an adverse impact on the sustainability of specific herbs.

“I am so glad that AHPA never consolidated [with one or more organizations], and there was talk of that at times,” Young said. “It meant that AHPA is and was a leaner opera-tion that doesn’t get too involved in the bureaucracy of trade organizations, so they could focus on the issues. It also allowed small companies with articulate board members to be in the mix and bring that small-company wisdom to counter larger companies, which have a different perspec-tive at times.”

A rising tide lifts all boats, as the saying goes, so the tight-knit community was ultimately beneficial to all. LeMole put it this way: “Someone said, ‘It is always better to hang out with people who are better than you, so you drift in that direction.’ So, good companies with herbal ingredients need each other, and AHPA will continue to be an excellent trade organization that is needed more than ever.”

Putting It in PerspectiveOne thing AHPA is proud of, McGuffin said, is that,

from the beginning, it has taken a leadership role on indus-try standards. For example, he said, AHPA has adopted more than 20 trade requirements for members and more than 20 guidance policies, or recommendations. AHPA’s

first trade requirement, he noted, was adopted in 1988 to stop trade in wild-harvested lady’s slipper orchids (Cypripe-dium spp., Orchidaceae).2 Steven Foster first proposed the resolution at the annual meeting of the now-defunct Inter-national Herb Growers and Marketers Association, where it was adopted. A month later, Blumenthal presented the resolution to AHPA, which also adopted it.24

AHPA recently saw a product that was marketed as an organic herbal capsule but did not claim to be compliant with the National Organic Program (NOP) standards, a federal regulatory program to develop and enforce consis-tent national standards for organically produced agricul-tural products in the United States.25 The Organic Trade Association informed AHPA that the NOP did not have the authority to enforce the rule if a company does not label the product as “NOP organic.” AHPA leadership took the issue to a committee and developed an immediate requirement that herbal products, if they claim to be “organic,” must comply with the NOP, McGuffin said.

It takes a lot patience for an organization to work through details of issues like labeling regulations, structure/func-tion claims, and adverse events and determine how they will impact business, noted Lambert (oral communica-tion, February 25, 2022). “There is no other place where that occurs. Every year there is a different issue,” she said, noting that many were concerned when the serious adverse event reporting law passed. “But Michael worked through all those issues and got people talking, even those with really different political views, and created a forum where we all come together to make a right livelihood out of this business.”

Early disparate opinions helped AHPA develop mean-ingful discourse both internally and with regulators and legislative entities to stay informed and vigilant about the issues. AHPA’s ability to reach consensus also has served it well in today’s politically polarized environment. McGuffin said the organization has always reached out to other indus-try associations and works closely with trade groups that represent aligned industries, like cosmetics, flavors, and fragrances. Although members may disagree about the news, they have a shared concern and must work together, he added.

Battles Still to FightNow, some of AHPA’s main challenges include the qual-

ity of botanical raw materials and manufacturing them in compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs). “The industry is now dependent on overseas suppliers for a large amount of raw materials, and some of these companies may have been producing these ingredients for many years,” Young said. Producing herbal ingredients

is a way of life in some of these countries, which often lack an internal regulatory structure to address modern sourc-ing and manufacturing issues, he noted. “That puts a larger obligation on the manufacturing community to be diligent in the raw materials they purchase.”

Another challenge is fostering the next generation of industry leaders. Looking ahead, McGuffin feels opti-mistic about AHPA’s future and a new era of leadership coming up through the ranks. “We don’t need to cultivate a new generation of leaders — it is self-cultivating,” he said. “[W]hat is important is that we invite the next generation to … come into leadership positions.”

One benefit of having a board of 32 people, many of whom have been involved with AHPA for more than 20 years, is that it has created organizational mentors. “Leader-ship has to be recognized by others, but there also has to be a spark that comes from the individuals who show up, raise the questions, express opinions, rally others, and listen,” McGuffin said. Hopefully, he added, the next genera-tion will come into the industry with as much passion as Lambert or Daniel Gagnon (owner of Herbs, Etc., AHPA president in 1998, and a longtime board member of AHPA) and will be similarly engaged and enthusiastic.

In the meantime, he said, AHPA will continue its main mission: to protect the plants and the integrity of the herbal products industry. “To some degree, all of it is about protecting consumers — I prefer to say our family, friends, and neighbors, who consume these products. This means protecting the plants and environment, which is important to all of us, and protecting the integrity of high-quality products. And we will continue to do that.”

References1. AHPA Celebrates 40 Years [press release]. Silver Spring, MD:

American Herbal Products Association; January 4, 2022. Available at: www.ahpa.org/News/LatestNews/TabId/96/ArtMID/1179/Arti-cleID/2755/AHPA-celebrates-40-years-of-leadership-and-advocacy-in-the-herbal-and-natural-products-industry.aspx. Accessed March 1, 2022.

2. Gardner Z, McGuffin M. American Herbal Products Associa-tion’s Botanical Safety Handbook. 2nd ed. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group; 2013

3. McGuffin M, Kartesz JT, Leung AY, Tucker AO. American Herbal Products Association’s Herbs of Commerce. 2nd ed. Silver Spring, MD: American Herbal Products Association; 2000.

4. Raterman K. AHPA’s self-regulatory initiatives in the US herb indus-try. HerbalGram. 2018;118:50-53. Available at: www.herbalgram.org/resources/herbalgram/issues/118/table-of-contents/hg118-legreg-ahpa/. Accessed March 1, 2022.

5. McCaleb R, Israelsen I. 40 years for AHPA: A Timeline of Preserving Health Freedom. Presentation given at Natural Products Expo West; March 10, 2022; Anaheim, CA. Available at: https://player.vimeo.com/video/686896619?h=b11a127f3e. Accessed April 14, 2022.

6. US Food and Drug Administration document. Herb Ratings by the FDA. November 1975.

7. Pray WS. The FDA, Vitamins, and the Dietary Supplement Industry. U.S. Pharmacist. October 17, 2008. Available at: www.uspharmacist.com/article/the-fda-vitamins-and-the-dietary-supplement-industry. Accessed March 23, 2022.

8. Daniells S. Fmali v Heckler: The landmark herb case that changed the industry. NutraIngredients-USA. March 2, 2022. Available at: www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Article/2022/03/02/Fmali-v-Heckler-The-landmark-herb-case-that-changed-the-industry#. Accessed March 23, 2022.

9. Anon. Appeals Court Overrules FDA On Food Safety. Herbalgram. 1983;2:1.

10. Foster S, ed. American Herbal Products Association’s Herbs of Commerce. Austin, TX: American Herbal Products Association; 1992.

11. Department of Health and Human Services. US Food and Drug Administration. 21 CFR Part 101 [Docket No. 2003N–0346]: Food Labeling: Ingredient Labeling of Dietary Supplements that Contain Botanicals. Available at: www.federalregister.gov/docu-ments/2003/08/28/03-21980/food-labeling-ingredient-labeling-of-dietary-supplements-that-contain-botanicals. Accessed August 11, 2022.

12. Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. Public Law 103-417. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supple-ments. Available at: https://ods.od.nih.gov/About/DSHEA_Word-ing.aspx. Accessed March 23, 2022.

13. Scattarella C, King W. FDA Raids Doctor’s Office in Kent — Nutritional Medicine Practice Is Shut Down; Equipment Is Seized. Seattle Times. May 7, 1992. Available at: https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19920507&slug=1490431. Accessed April 18, 2022

14. Jonathan Wright, ND, Founder and Medical Director of Tahoma Clinic, Research Director of Tahoma Clinic Foundation. Tahoma Clinic website. Available at: https://tahomaclinicfoundation.org/dr-jonathan-v-wright/. Accessed April 18, 2022.

15. Feds Drop Investigation of Alternative Doctor. The Spokesman-Review. September 24, 1995. Available at: www.spokesman.com/stories/1995/sep/24/feds-drop-investigation-of-alternative-doctor/. Accessed April 18, 2022.

16. History of the Dietary Supplements Health and Education Act of 1994. United Natural Products Alliance website. Available at: www.unpa.com/about-dietary-supplements/. Accessed April 18, 2022.

17. FDA Dietary Supplement Task Force. Nutrition Reviews. 1992;50(1):25. Available at: https://academic.oup.com/nutritionre-views/article-abstract/50/1/25/1873944. Accessed May 1, 2022.

18. Blumenthal M, Israelsen, LD. FDA Issues Final Rules for Struc-ture/Function Claims for Dietary Supplements Under DSHEA. HerbalGram. 2000;48:32-38. Available at: www.herbalgram.org/resources/herbalgram/issues/48/table-of-contents/article371/. Accessed March 27, 2022.

19. American Herbal Products Association Supports Serious Adverse Event Reporting for Dietary Supplements [press release]. Silver Spring, MD: American Herbal Products Association; June 7, 2004. Available at: www.newhope.com/supply-news-amp-analysis/amer-ican-herbal-products-association-supports-serious-adverse-event-reporti. Accessed March 27, 2022.

20. Guidance for Industry: Questions and Answers Regarding the Label-ing of Dietary Supplements as Required by the Dietary Supple-ment and Non-Prescription Drug Consumer Protection Act. FDA website. Available at: www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/guidance-industry-questions-and-answers-regarding-labeling-dietary-supplements-required-dietary. Accessed June 24, 2022.

21. Cannabis Committee. AHPA website. Available at: www.ahpa.org/AboutUs/Committees/CannabisCommittee.aspx. Accessed March 23, 2022.

22. Psychedelic Plants and Fungi Committee. AHPA website. Available at: www.ahpa.org/AboutUs/Committees/PsychedelicPlantsandFungi-Committee.aspx. Accessed March 23, 2022.

23. American Botanical Council Presents Botanical Excellence Awards at 16th Annual Celebration Ceremony [press release]. Austin, TX: American Botanical Council; May 26, 2021. Available at: www.herbalgram.org/news/press-releases/2021/abc-presents-16th-annual-botanical-excellence-awards-ceremony/. Accessed April 18, 2022.

24. Foster S. Lady’s Slipper: Once a Commercial Conundrum, Now a Conservation Success Story. HerbalGram. 2021;131:40-51. Available at: www.herbalgram.org/resources/herbalgram/issues/131/table-of-contents/hg131-feat-ladyslipper/. Accessed April 18, 2022.

25. National Organic Program. US Department of Agriculture website. Available at: www.ams.usda.gov/about-ams/programs-offices/national-organic-program. Accessed March 8, 2022.

One thing AHPA is proud of, McGuffin said, is that, from the beginning, it has taken a leadership role on industry standards. For

example, he said, AHPA has adopted more than 20 trade requirements for members and more than 20 guidance policies, or recommendations.

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of ginsenosides as fresh red ginseng extracts. Chang’s book elaborates on cultivation and processing methods, modern research, and much more.

After the Korean War (1950–1953), the South Korean government was so focused on developing its ginseng into a viable industry for domestic consumption and export that it created what was formerly known as the Office of Monopoly, a branch of the Korean government that monop-olized the cultivation, processing, packaging, and sale of two important commercial plants: Korean red ginseng and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum, Solanaceae). It is an interesting dichotomy: the government controlled the production and sale of these two plants with very different health consid-erations. The creation of the office and increasing interna-tional exports are important parts of recent Korean ginseng history that are covered in this book.

In the United States in the ’70s, ginseng was sold mainly in health food stores in the form of instant tea granules made from Korean white ginseng extract in a lactose base, capsules or tablets of dried ginseng powder, and dark, viscous concentrated extracts for tea. It appeared that the Korean government was more interested and engaged in promoting Korean-grown-and-processed ginseng than its counterparts in China, where ginseng was formerly found wild and is now extensively cultivated in Manchuria, north and west of the border of North Korea.

Owing to its relatively high price compared to many other herbs, the ginseng market historically has been prone to adulteration and fraud. The author notes this and some of the challenges in the marketplace owing to nomenclatural confusion, as the late Steven Foster detailed extensively in an article in issue 111 of ABC’s journal HerbalGram.1 An image of the cover of that issue is included in the book on page 54.

One reason this book is so unique is its subject. It takes a deep dive into the history of ginseng as a food and its devel-opment as a medicine, not just the modern “industry” of ginseng cultivation, harvesting, processing, quality control, marketing, and scientific and clinical research. The book relies on primary historical sources from Korea, China, and Japan, indicating the author’s extensive expertise on the subject. Probably few people in the world are more informed than Chang on so many aspects of the genus Panax.

Chang includes the discovery of American ginseng in North America, its initial trade to China in the early 18th century, and the cultivation of American ginseng in the northern United States and Canada since the late 1800s. He also discusses attempts to produce commercial crops of Asian ginseng in Europe.

The book ends with a narrative of the modernization of the Korean ginseng industry after the Korean War and the establishment of the government-operated Office of Monopoly, about 550 years after the establishment of the Joseon Dynasty (Korea’s last ruling dynasty) and its many efforts to develop ginseng as a tonic food and medicine. The office helped fund modern scientific and clinical research on Korean ginseng root teas and extracts and helped found

the Korean Society of Ginseng and the society’s Journal of Ginseng Research (now published by Elsevier and underwrit-ten by the Korea Ginseng Corporation, which took over from the Office of Monopoly). According to Chang, about 5,300 research papers were published on ginseng from 1962 to 2015, with 54% (2,876) on activity and efficacy and 348 of these publications in “clinical study journals.”

This book is replete with images of historical nature, including old book and research report covers; photographs of ginseng farming, root processing, and production in Korean facilities; and much more. One color photographic sequence (pp. 223–229) shows ginseng roots in the steam-ing process in the Korea Ginseng Corporation’s ultra-modern processing plant. I remember visiting that, or a similar, facility in one of my two visits to South Korea since the 1980 symposium.

A History of the Korean Ginseng Industry is truly deserving of the ABC James A. Duke award for reference/technical books published in 2021.

Mark Blumenthal is the founder and executive director of the American Botanical Council.

Reference1. Foster S. Toward an understanding of ginseng adul-

teration: The tangled web of names, history, trade, and perception. HerbalGram. 2016;111:36-57.

Unique supercritical extracts from herbs and spices

Unique supercritical extracts from herbs and spices

Experience the essence of nature

A History of the Korean Ginseng Industry by Il-Moo Chang. Seoul, South Korea: Korea Ginseng Corporation; 2021. ISBN: 979-11-964351-4-1. Hard-cover, 424 pages. $59.95.

By Mark Blumenthal

Editor’s note: A History of the Korean Ginseng Industry received the 2022 ABC James A. Duke Excellence in Botanical Literature Award in the reference/technical category.

I love ginseng (Panax spp., Araliaceae). I have eaten it, drunk it in teas, and taken dietary supplements made from it for about 50 years. From the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, I was a wholesaler of herbs and herbal products and started with Korean ginseng (P. ginseng), also known as Asian ginseng. During my first trip to Asia in 1980, I attended the International Ginseng Symposium in Seoul, South Korea. For these and many other reasons, I am profoundly inter-ested in ginseng: its history and traditional uses, mythology, nomenclature, quality issues and adulteration, the increas-ingly plentiful scientific and clinical literature on it, and more.

This book provides more information about Asian ginseng than any other book in my or the American Botani-cal Council’s (ABC’s) library. The author, Il-Moo Chang,

PhD, professor emeritus in the College of Pharmacy at Seoul National University, is a noted ginseng expert and former director of the Korean Ginseng Research Insti-tute. Despite its deep scholarship, A History of the Korean Ginseng Industry is not heavily technical, which will allow many herbal medicine enthusiasts to read it, enjoy it, and derive benefit. It is illustrated with graphics from historical and scientific publications, photos, classic texts on Asian ginseng and other traditional medicinal plants, and more.

Readers should not misinterpret the book’s scope based on the title. It covers much more than the history and emer-gence of the robust ginseng industry in Korea and deals primarily with ginseng from the Korean experience, while also providing some information on American ginseng (P. quinquefolius).

The book is divided into seven chapters: 1. Korean Ginseng: Representative Commercial Crop of

Korea2. Korean People: The First Group of Humans to Have

Ginseng as Food3. Secret of the Panacea: From Food to Medicine4. Great Inventions: Cultivation and Preparation of Red

Ginseng5. The Ginseng Business and Trade of the Joseon Dynasty6. Establishment of Joseon’s Ginseng Industry 1800–19457. Government-Led Ginseng Industry and Privatization

Chapters 2 and 3, in which the author traces the history of ginseng as a food and beverage and its development into a fabled traditional remedy, are my favorite. This documen-tation of ginseng’s traditional use as a health-promoting food provides a compelling cultural perspective that can influence regulatory determinations in some countries. On my first visit to Seoul, I was amazed at the relative ubiquity of Korean ginseng tea in cafes, restaurants, subway stations — almost everywhere. In Korea, ginseng tea might be as frequently consumed as coffee (Coffea spp., Rubiaceae) is in some Western countries.

Based on my experience in the herb industry in the mid-1970s, Korean “white” ginseng was the only ginseng gener-ally available on the US market during that time. In the late ’70s and early 1980s, “red” ginseng products started becom-ing available in the United States.

Red ginseng roots are fresh ginseng roots that have been steamed according to a traditional process. The heat causes the root to turn from its natural off-white color to reddish-brown and changes some of its chemistry (e.g., the ginsenosides, which are biologically active compounds found mainly in the genus Panax). In traditional medicine practices in China, Korea, and Japan, red ginseng is consid-ered “warmer” (i.e., having more of a stimulating effect) than untreated white ginseng. Modern chemical, pharma-cological, and clinical research tends to support this.

The steaming process also reportedly allows red ginseng roots to be stored for longer than white ginseng. Accord-ing to the book, 20-year-old red ginseng extracts were analyzed and found to contain approximately the same level

Recipient of ABC’s 2022 James A. Duke Excellence in Botanical Literature Award

BOOK REVIEWS BOOK REVIEWS


to the health of all life-forms” (p. 341). She shares the thrill of discovery that is at the heart of science and brings her readers along with her as if we, too, are part of the adven-ture and joy of learning that she experiences and shares with her students.

The Plant Hunter is divided into 12 chapters with a prologue and epilogue. Sections titled Part I: Nature (Chap-ters 1-4), Part II: Infection (Chapters 5-8), and Part III: Medicine (Chapters 9-12) further organize the content into different overarching themes. The prologue sets the stage with an enthralling story of bringing her Emory University students to Florida swampland — alligator territory — on a field expedition to search for a native species of blackberry (Rubus sp., Rosaceae), a source of a potential antibacterial medicine.

As the chapters unfold, the reader is drawn into the amazing properties of healing plants and to Quave’s life and personal journey. She brings her own experiences to life, and, in detail, describes the scenes, bird calls, butter-flies, and soils of the diverse places where she has trav-eled, so that I can almost see them with my own eyes. She provides clear, easily understood descriptions of plants and plant compounds that have found worldwide use as life-saving pharmaceuticals and leaves the reader in awe of Indigenous experts who originally identified and learned how to apply such medicines in complex, holistic ways.

From the traditional preparation of cassava (Manihot escu-lenta, Euphorbiaceae) as a nutritious food, to the descrip-tions of curare, a mixture of neurotoxins extracted from the curare vine (Chondrodendron tomentosum, Menisperma-ceae), together with numerous other species, she enriches our knowledge of the plant world and our dependence on it. (Curare, she explains, originally was used as a power-ful arrow poison, and then adapted for medical applica-tions due to its ability to block the connection between the central nervous system and muscles.)

The index of botanical and fungal names at the end of the book is a testimony to its breadth and depth. Beyond the botanical richness, Quave’s deep humanity, love of nature, and respect for healers and plant experts of all backgrounds shine through. She is a natural teacher and storyteller, who, through personal narratives, can engage and inform readers. Following her own experiences with mentors and teachers, she has inspired many students, researchers, and commu-nity members to learn more about the plants on which we all depend.

Nancy J. Turner, PhD, is an ethnobotanist, member of the ABC Advisory Board, and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of the School of Environmental Studies at the University of Victoria.

The Plant Hunter: A Scientist’s Quest for Nature’s Next Medicines by Cassandra Leah Quave. New York, NY: Viking; 2021. ISBN: 9781984879110. Hardcover, 384 pages. $27.00.

By Nancy J. Turner, PhD

Editor’s note: The Plant Hunter received the 2022 ABC James A. Duke Excellence in Botanical Literature Award in the consumer/popular category.

The Plant Hunter combines important knowledge about plant-based medicines and healing traditions of Indigenous and local peoples with fascinating personal experiences of a born storyteller who has a love of people and nature and a zest for learning and research.

Ethnobotany, or the study of the diverse relationships between people and plants, has led author Cassandra Leah Quave, PhD, to a fascinating and unique career, as recounted in her compelling book. This text is a wonder-ful introduction to the field of ethnobotany but is equally captivating for people who are well acquainted with the field. Quave is a preeminent medical ethnobotanist and well known in the fields of therapeutic medicine, molecular

and systems pharmacology, genetics, and microbiology. A past president of the Society for Economic Botany (soon to be renamed the Society for Ethnobotany), she has made her academic home at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. As well as being an associate professor of dermatology and human health in the university’s School of Medicine and Center for the Study of Human Health, she serves as cura-tor of the Emory University Herbarium and is an associate faculty member in the university’s Biology, Environmental Sciences, and Anthropology departments.

In The Plant Hunter, Quave shares the story of her personal learning journey and how she has been inspired to dedicate her career to the study of the world’s heal-ing plants. She pays tribute to the academic teachers and mentors in her field (including Richard Evans Schultes, PhD, Harvard University’s “Father of Ethnobotany”; and Andrea Pieroni, PhD, an acclaimed ethnobotanist at the University of Gastronomic Sciences at Pollenzo in Italy), but also to the Indigenous and local plant experts in diverse parts of the world who generously have shared their knowl-edge and demonstrated their healing practices with and for her. As she explains in the book, one of her first Indigenous teachers was Antonio Montero Pisco (often called “Don Antonio”), an ayahuasquero (someone who administers or uses the psychoactive brew ayahuasca [from Banisteriop-sis caapi, Malpighiaceae]) and healer, or curandero, who she met when she was a college senior research intern in the Peruvian Amazon. Pisco and his son maintained an ethnobotanical garden (which the late ethnobotanist James A. Duke, PhD, originally conceived), and he introduced Quave to a new world of healing and culturally important plants.

Quave, who has been described as an “eloquent and disarmingly honest” writer by Amy Stewart, the bestsell-ing author of The Drunken Botanist (Workman Publishing, 2013), and “a woman with incredible grit and courage” by Temple Grandin, PhD, the bestselling author of Thinking in Pictures (Doubleday, 1995), also relates the health chal-lenges that she faced from birth. She was born with multiple congenital skeletal abnormalities that required the amputa-tion of her right leg below the knee when she was only three years old, followed by treatment for infection from anti-biotic-resistant Staphylococcus. The daughter of a Vietnam veteran, she, along with thousands of other children, was affected by the use of poisons such as Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.

A grateful recipient of lifesaving Western medical care, Quave also has received treatments from leading Indig-enous herbal healers and medicine experts and, through these experiences, came to see the wisdom and effectiveness of holistic traditional medicine. She has devoted her career to researching how plant-based medicines can help combat infectious diseases and restore and maintain human health. In particular, she focuses on plant-based antibiotics that can combat the growing crisis of infections caused by anti-microbial resistance. She is also a champion of the environ-ment and emphasizes that “ecosystem biodiversity is the key

Recipient of ABC’s 2022 James A. Duke Excellence in Botanical Literature Award

IN MEMORIAM


BOOK REVIEWS


Louisiana Herb Journal: Healing on Home Ground by Corinne Martin. Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press; 2022. Softcover, 304 pages. ISBN: 9780807177402. $34.95.

Louisiana Herb Jour-nal introduces 50 herbs that are found in Louisi-ana and includes details about their identifica-tion, habitats, distri-butions, healing prop-erties, and traditional uses, as well as instruc-tions for popular prep-aration methods, such as tinctures and teas. The author, herbalist Corinne Martin, inter-sperses these practical details with stories that foster a connection to the natural world, from harvesting mishaps to folk traditions that are passed down through genera-tions. A celebration of Louisiana and its residents, Louisiana Herb Journal reflects on how medicinal herbs can promote personal healing and address current challenges related to the state’s environmental and economic stability, and it advocates for a personal relationship with one’s “home ground.”

Viola: Herb of the Year™ 2022 by the Interna-tional Herb Association. Jacksonville, FL: International Herb Association; 2022. Softcover, 233 pages. ISBN: 9780578360294. $21.95.

The International Herb Association desig-nated flowers in the genus Viola (Violaceae), commonly known as violets, as the Herb of the Year™ for 2022 and produced this text that highlights these fragrant and beautiful blossoms. The sections “Knowing and Growing Viola,” “Art, Literature, and Poetry,” “Violets in the Kitchen,” and “Heal-ing and Beauty with Viola” cover botany and cultivation, history and harvest, lore, recipes, and medicinal uses. The illustrations, photos, and poetry celebrate violets in other culinary and medicinal applications.

The Intimate Herbal: A Beginner’s Guide to Herbal Medicine for Sexual Health, Pleasure, and Hormonal Balance by Marie White. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books; 2022. Softcover, 256 pages. ISBN: 9781623176631. $18.95.

In this book, herbalist and author Marie White explores modern herbalism through a sustainable, community-oriented lens and the interconnected nature of bodies. The Intimate Herbal priori-tizes preventive medicine and promotes a healthy, open-minded relationship with sex and sexual well-ness. The text takes an inclusive and accessible approach to herbal heal-ing and seeks to empower readers with the founda-tions of intimate herbalism. Subjects addressed include breast health, contraception, endometriosis, fertility, hormonal imbalances, menopause, menstrual cycles, polycystic ovary syndrome, ovarian cysts, prostate health, urinary health, and more.

The Mind of Plants: Narratives of Vegetal Intelli-gence by John C. Ryan, Patricia Vieira, and Monica Gagliano, eds. Santa Fe, NM: Synergetic Press; 2021. Softcover, 528 pages. ISBN: 9780907791874. $24.95.

The Mind of Plants explores human-plant interactions in a cerebral and creative way. This collection of essays, narra-tives, and poetry also features personal reflec-tions of the editors and illustrations by José María Pout. The exploration of how humans interact with plants and plants inter-act with each other brings together works from contributors who focus on both the scientific and the spiritual. Plants as commonplace as apples (Malus spp., Rosaceae) and as psychoactive as ayahuasca vine (Banisteriopsis caapi, Malpighiaceae), as well as many aspects of so-called botanical or vegetal “intelligence,” are described in this text.

New Book Profiles

By the Zaricor-Veninga Family and ABC Staff

Herb industry pioneer Ben Zaricor died at his home in Soquel, California, surrounded by his family on June 8, 2022, at age 74. He was born on November 10, 1947, in Shelby County, Tennessee, to Carl E. Zaricor and Patricia C. Zaricor (née Malone). Ben was raised in Tennessee and attended schools locally. In 1965, he graduated from Overton High School in Memphis, where he exhibited a fondness for economics before enrolling as a soci-ology major at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

While in Missouri from 1966 to 1970, Ben worked in the library at Washington University and became interested in progressive movements and the anti-war cause. He also was active in university politics and eventually became president of the WashU Student Union. In 1969, he witnessed a young man being beaten by plainclothes police officers for wearing an American flag vest. This moment changed Ben’s life and sparked his passion for flags, the power of symbols, and the injustices inherent in power. It was also during his time in St. Louis that he met and courted Louise Veninga, his future wife.

Shortly before their 1971 marriage, Ben and Louise began a company, Fmali Inc., with an idea to import bicycles from Asia. They pursued this plan for nearly a year and aimed to import container loads of bikes from China. Unfortunately, their supplier did not come through, so the Zaricors decided to import natural products instead. Their first success was with the analgesic ointment Tiger Balm® (Haw Par Corporation, Singapore), which contains plant-derived ingredients such as menthol (from Mentha spp., Lamiaceae) and capsicum (from Capsicum spp., Solanaceae). This blossomed into connections in San Francisco’s Chinatown, which led to their successful trade in Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng, Araliaceae) root.

Ben and Louise envisioned a promising future as the Chinese economy began to open up. For the next three decades, Ben and his wife were involved in the importation, processing, and distribution of teas, herbs, and spices for food and beverage companies all over the world.

The Zaricors moved to Santa Cruz, California, in 1972. In 1976, they received approval from the Chinese government to export containers of herbs and botanicals to the United States — the first such approval granted since 1949 — and became a primary source of botanicals and spices for the then-devel-oping US herbal market. Over the next decade, they became a leading supplier for Celestial Seasonings, Thomas J. Lipton, and many other tea, herb, and spice companies. Ben then founded the Good Earth Tea Company. He continued as the CEO of this expanding and successful national brand until the company was sold in 2005.

Caroline MacDougall, founder and CEO of Teeccino and former herb buyer for Celestial Seasonings, recalled Ben’s gift

for strategy and principled stances. “When I think of Ben, what stands out is his mental prowess, which was always many steps ahead of everyone else, and his fearlessness to stand by his ideals and principles,” she wrote (email, July 18, 2022). “When he thought something was wrong and should be righted, he was committed to going after it, even if it involved personally financing lawyers’ fees to fight legal cases. I actually think he may have missed the boat in not becoming a lawyer and subsequently a judge, because he was so committed to justice.”

Ben was a founder of the Herb Trade Association (HTA, the forerunner of the American Herbal Products Association) and served as one of its “tri-presidents” from 1976 to 1977. He also was one of the founders of Botanicals International, a major botanical import and distribution company based in California.

“Why did we have to have three co-presidents? Well, it was a wild time in those early herbal days,” MacDougall, who was also one of HTA’s tri-presidents, added. “We were learning to work together, and the miracle was that we attempted it at all. Now, almost 50 years later, I’m grateful that Ben led the way for the herbal industry to emerge as the powerhouse for well-ness that it is today.”

In the early 1980s, Ben and Louise, via Fmali, took legal action against the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its interpretation of the “common use in food” provision that dealt with “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) foods. The FDA had detained a shipment of a ginseng, royal jelly, and schisandra (Schisandra chinensis, Schisandraceae) product from China and claimed that common use in food referred only to use in the United States. In the now-classic Fmali Herb, Inc. v. Heckler case, a US Circuit Court ruled in favor of Fmali, thereby allowing herb industry members to import herbs not previously sold in the United States for use in teas and other natural products, so long as they had a documented history of safe use, regardless of the geographical area(s) of such use.1,2 The Fmali case was the top story in the then-new newsletter “Herbalgram” (issue 2, 1983)1 and was the subject of an article published on NutraIngredients-USA.com in March 2022.2 In the NutraIngredients-USA article, American Botanical Coun-cil (ABC) Founder and Executive Director Mark Blumenthal, who did business with Zaricor in the 1970s, stated the Fmali decision was one of the most important legal developments in the US herb industry until the passage of the Dietary Supple-ment Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA) 11 years later.2

Subhuti Dharmananda, PhD, traditional Chinese medicine expert and founder of the nonprofit Institute for Traditional Medicine and Preventive Health Care, wrote (email, July 24, 2022): “For me, Ben Zaricor was always part of the team of Ben and Louise. I worked more closely and routinely with Ben, especially during the period 1976-1985, the first part working at Fmali. and later doing occasional consulting on projects. Though sometimes people who knew Ben might butt heads

Benjamin Reed Zaricor1947 – 2022

IN MEMORIAM IN MEMORIAM


with him over certain matters, as I did, there was one overrid-ing experience of him: Ben is a good man.

“Ben and Louise had arranged to attend a convention in China, and after the first year, Ben had a conflicting require-ment, and he chose for me to go with Louise to China,” Dhar-mananda continued. “I always appreciated his trust in me to take on ever-larger projects, having initially requested that I design and oversee construction and operation of the botani-cal research laboratory at Fmali…. He never failed to provide opportunities for numerous people he knew.”

Ben never lost sight of his progressive ideals, and in 2000, against formidable odds, he led a grassroots effort to obtain a presidential pardon for a friend from their anti-war days in St. Louis. The friend, Howard Mechanic, had been wrongly convicted of violating the 1968 federal Anti-Riot Act because of his involvement in an anti-war protest at Washington Univer-sity shortly after the shootings at Kent State University in Ohio in May 1970. Although the pardon campaign was a compli-cated, emotionally charged, and daunting process, the almost-yearlong project was ultimately successful and resulted in a full pardon for Howard on the last day of Bill Clinton’s presidency in 2001.

Mechanic, under the alias Gary Tredway and doing business as Pure Planet Products, collaborated with Zaricor to import Chinese botanicals. “Ben was a college friend, and we worked together for decades,” Mechanic wrote (email, July 18, 2022). “He was a leader in everything he set out to do. He took many personal risks to protect me and set aside many of his business tasks to step up as the point person in getting me a presidential pardon. His principles came first.”

Ben and Louise gradually amassed an enormous collection of more than 3,700 flags and flag-related items. Now known as the Zaricor Flag Collection (ZFC), it is the largest known private flag collection in the United States. Howard Michael Madaus (a collector, vexillologist [one who studies flags], and the first Chief Curator of the ZFC) and co-author Whitney Smith (also a vexillologist) called the collection “one of the best,

if not the best, American flag collections in the country” in their 2006 book The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord & Conflict (VZ Publications).3 Anne Crump of American Spirit magazine once described Ben as “the owner of a collection of American flags that makes vexillologists’ hearts flutter.”4

At the Presidio of San Francisco, Ben also co-founded the landmark 2003 exhibition on the history of the American flag. The San Francisco Chronicle described the exhibition as “one of the top 10 pop culture events of the year.”4 The ZFC, however, is not just about US flags. It is also a home to flags from differ-ent time periods from all over the world. Ben and Louise also produced a PBS documentary, “The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict,” based on Madaus and Smith’s book.

The Zaricors raised three children and built a home in Soquel, California. Ben liked good books, old movies, short cigars, and eclectic gatherings of friends and family. He is survived by his wife, Louise; his three children, Tanya Marie Veninga-Zaricor, Carl Frederick Veninga-Zaricor, and Karen Lesley Veninga-Zaricor; his older brother, David Zaricor; and his first cousin, Larry Raspberry. Services were held on Flag Day (June 14, 2022) at the Santa Cruz Memorial Oakwood Chapel.

References1. Appeals court overrules FDA on food safety. Herbalgram. 1983-

1984;2:1. Available at: http://herbalgram.org/media/11957/issue2.pdf. Accessed June 16, 2022.

2. Daniells S. Fmali v Heckler: The landmark herb case that changed the industry. March 2, 2022. NutraIngredients-USA website. Available at: www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Arti-cle/2022/03/02/Fmali-v-Heckler-The-landmark-herb-case-that-changed-the-industry. Accessed June 16, 2022.

3. Madaus HM, Smith W. The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord & Conflict. VZ Publications: 2006.

4. The People Behind ZFC. Zaricor Flag Collection website. Available at: www.flagcollection.com/resourcesstaticcontent.php?CollectionHTMLZone_Code=resources_thepeoplebehin-dZFC. Accessed June 16, 2022.

By Connor YearsleyBill Swail, the founder and personal-

ity of Peoples Rx in Austin, Texas, died in Austin on January 25, 2022, at age 79, after an extended illness. His friends, family, and former employees remember his vision, entrepreneurship, good nature, kindness, generosity, and humility, and his unique approach to serving the health needs of customers and the Austin community.1,2

His stores emphasized whole-body health and integrative forms of health care, and he created an “East meets West” envi-

ronment that other holistic pharmacies have tried to replicate. Several former American Botanical Council (ABC) employees have been Peoples Rx employees.

Swail was born in Houston on February 28, 1942, and was the third of five children of George and Constance Swail. After grad-uating from South Houston High School in 1960, Swail moved to Austin, where he attended the University of Texas and joined the Air Force Reserve. In Austin, he was an active member of Trinity Chapel, where he met his future wife Elvie in 1966. He and

Elvie married in 1967 and moved to Arkansas, where he attended the University of Central Arkansas and then, in 1973, received a doctorate of pharmacy from the University of Arkansas.1,2

William ‘Bill’ Lee Swail1942 – 2022

In 1974, the couple moved back to Austin, where Swail worked at Ace Mart Drug Store and Consumers Drug Store before starting his own business. In 1980, he opened the first Peoples Rx location in South Austin. Now, Peoples Rx, which is part pharmacy, part natural foods store, and part deli, has grown to four locations and a compounding center for person-alized medications.1,2

Swail wanted to create an environment where people could receive personalized care and attention and holistic and natural medicine advice. At Peoples Rx, customers are greeted by well-ness specialists, nutritionists, naturopathic physicians, and other health practitioners who are trained to recommend personalized health plans.3

Peoples Rx products include natural supplements, such as vitamins, minerals, and herbal remedies. Three of the four locations also include Peoples Deli & Bakery, which serves food such as organic smoothies, bone broth, and local, grass-fed beef chili. All Peoples locations offer “grab-n-go” options like raw organic juices, salads, sandwiches, deviled eggs, and gluten-free baked goods such as cookies, brownies, and cake.3

Swail strived to create a family-oriented atmosphere, where employees started as teenagers and stayed, or left and then came back. At one time, Swail had several used cars that employees could borrow if they needed. Before Austin had 24-hour pharmacies, Peoples Rx had an emergency line, which was Swail’s home phone number, and he would open the phar-macy at 2 a.m. if anyone needed anything. Swail also some-times gave medications away to people who could not afford them or who did not have insurance.1

His customers frequently told him they “cannot leave Austin, because there’s no Peoples” outside Austin, Swail was quoted as saying.3

Peoples Rx also offers free seminars and workshops to educate the public and practitioners about a wide range of health topics, often about nutrition and natural health options.

For years, Swail hosted two radio shows: the “Good News Health Show,” which aired on Saturday mornings on a Chris-tian radio station in Austin, and “Let’s Get Healthy,” which aired on Saturday afternoons. Both shows focused on the latest in natural, holistic, and integrative health and usually had the same co-hosts and mostly the same guests but reached different audiences.

“Bill was a true pioneer in the pharmacy profession,” said Swail’s friend and colleague Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of ABC (email, July 14, 2022). “Early on, he recognized that a good diet and various nutritional and botani-cal dietary supplements, as well as other so-called ‘alternative’ health modalities, had an important place in a healthy lifestyle and in preventive medicine. He was likely the first person in the Texas area who employed accredited naturopathic physicians in his stores to help educate consumers on their health choices. His entrepreneurial vision was exceeded only by his huge generosity. He was a true asset to the health of the Central Texas commu-nity. I miss his great sense of humor and our dinners together. (He would order bottles of some of the best red wines – for opti-mal health reasons, of course!)”

Swail led Peoples Rx until October 2017, when he was in a car accident that forced him to step away. Before that, he also

was an active member of the South Austin Kiwanis, a commu-nity service organization. He was a speaker at the University of Texas College of Pharmacy, a member of the Board of Directors of the St. David’s South Austin Medical Center, and more. In his spare time, he enjoyed running, skiing, traveling, gardening, and cooking.1,2

Jeneen Swail Schloz, Swail’s daughter, wrote (email, April 19, 2022):

My dad was a maverick and trailblazer in his profes-sional field…. I love that my dad gave the big Barton Creek Farmers Market its start years ago in the parking lot of one of his stores and that he gave the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance regular interviews on his radio shows to help support small-scale, local farmers, ranchers, and producers. And I love that he played a part in the legal-ization of industrial hemp [Cannabis spp., Cannabaceae] as well as cannabinoids in Texas. He was an incredible role model in so many ways and will be remembered for his twinkling blue eyes and smile that could light up a room, his generous heart, his fun disposition, and the unique ability he had of making everyone feel special and important.

Perhaps most memorable of all was his incredible generosity. He supported customers, employees, and the community at large in innumerable and immeasurable ways. With his deep compassion and desire to share his wisdom and knowledge, he gave people hope and assisted the healing of those with health struggles and who main-stream medicine dismissed, couldn’t figure out, left behind, or hurt. Few did more to help shape the landscape of natural health and wellbeing in the city of Austin than Bill Swail. Hence the city named his birthday, February 28, 2022, Bill Swail Day. His children plan to carry his legacy forward through Peoples Rx and, as best they can, through their own personal examples in the world.

Laurie Aroch, PharmD, co-founder of Viva Day Spa in Austin and a former Peoples Rx employee, wrote (email, April 18, 2022):

Bill always had something funny to say, an interesting story to tell, or a thought-provoking question to ask. It was a joy being in his presence. He was kind to all. I loved many aspects of his personality, but what I appreciated most was his natural tendency to be a skeptic… When my rationale was as simple as “Well, that is what they say,” he would look at me and say, “Well, who is ‘they’ and what if ‘they’ are wrong?” Whether it be medical science, politi-cal, or any other “expert” point of view, he always, as he smiled, had his unique way of looking at it. For that, I adore and appreciate him even more!

Ray Solano, RPh, CCN, president of Prescription Dispens-ing Laboratories in Cedar Park, Texas, and a former Peoples Rx employee who operated the Peoples Rx compounding center, wrote (email, April 12, 2022):

Bill always valued two things in his business: first, his employees, especially those who were starting out and showed a lot of enthusiasm to work hard, and second, the

Photo courtesy of Jeneen Swail Schloz

IN MEMORIAM IN MEMORIAM


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in Green Pharmacy, starting from a Neanderthal burial and continuing through the Middle Ages and into the modern herbal movement. A second edition was published in 1997 (Healing Arts Press) with a new foreword by Michael McIntyre, a former president of the National Institute of Medical Herbal-ists (NIMH) in the United Kingdom, in addition to the first edition’s foreword by celebrated pharmacognosist Norman R. Farnsworth, PhD. Before her death, Griggs had been working on a third edition until her health prevented her from complet-ing it.

Ann Walker, PhD, Griggs’ friend and fellow of the College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy (CPP), wrote: “Green Pharmacy is the work of a unique mind that can piece together disparate threads across many disciplines into a cohesive whole. She tells a good story, no doubt drawing on her journalistic skills. It’s a story ratified by the many she consulted [and] will remain the definitive text on the history of Western herbal medicine.”1

Griggs’ other notable publications about herbal medicine and nutrition include The Home Herbal: A Handbook of Simple Remedies (Pan Books, 1983), The Food Factor: Why We Are What We Eat (Viking, 1987), the Superfoods series, which she wrote with Michael van Straten (DK Publishing), and The Green Witch: A Modern Women’s Herbal (Random Century, 1993).

In 1986, Griggs became a contributing health writer of Coun-try Living magazine. She remained a contributing health writer until 1993, when she became the contributing health editor. She held that position until 2006. The family moved to Rome in 1986 for Henri’s job, and a few years later, her daughter Ninka was diagnosed with leukemia. Ninka died in 1992 at age 18. Bibi van der Zee credited her mother’s devotion to her work and love of her family with getting her through the tragedy of Ninka’s death.2

Many organizations honored Griggs for her work, and she was named an associate member of CPP and a lifetime honorary member of NIMH. She is remembered for her sense of humor, intelligence, and devotion to her family and community. Her volunteerism in her local Brighton, England, community included preparing meals for the homeless shelter and running communal gardens. She was also a loving grandmother.

Simon Mills, a leader in the UK herbal community and fellow of NIMH, wrote (email, August 18, 2022): “When we were building the new UK herbal practitioner community in the early 1980s, Barbara became our chronicler. She arrived in our midst as a well-known journalist who wanted to understand

this revived interest in herbs. Part of her work in writing Green Pharmacy was to hole up for weeks in the attic of Hein Zeylstra’s School of Herbal Medicine in Frant Road, Tunbridge Wells, England, where all the NIMH archives were stored. We quickly adopted her book as our default version of history, even more so when she produced a more current second edition.

“Some years later, on a Christmas break in Nerja in southern Spain, my wife and I were delighted to find we were sharing our resort with Barbara,” Mills added. “We had some wonderful days idly catching up with the state of the world, and we were friends thereafter. Although not a practitioner, Barbara would regularly attend the professional conferences of the CPP and was a particular fan of ‘practitioner’s practitioner’ Kerry Bone. Her undiminished joy in the herbal world was truly infectious!”

Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of the American Botanical Council, wrote (email, August 17, 2022): “Barbara’s book Green Pharmacy is the seminal book on the history of European herbal medicine. In my view, it should be required reading in all herb schools that deal with the Western herbal medicine tradition. I will always be grateful to her for her very kind inclusion of the educational role of HerbalGram as part of her discussion of the modern herbal movement in the United States.

“On a more personal note, I had the opportunity to meet Barbara when I was in Nottingham, England, in 2014 to give one of the keynotes at the 150th anniversary conference of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists,” Blumenthal added. “She graciously invited me to lunch, just the two of us, and, to this day, our vivid and engaging conversation is one of my key memories of that event.”

Barbara Griggs is preceded in death by her parents, Freder-ick and Nina; sisters Lucy and Marjory; brother John; daugh-ter Ninka; and former husband Henri. She is survived by her daughter Bibi (Mike); grandsons Sam, Ben, and Joe; and sisters Mia and Hooda.

References1. Barbara Griggs (14 September 1932 – 20 January 2022).

College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy website. Available at: https://thecpp.uk/barbara-griggs/. Accessed July 28, 2022.

2. van der Zee B. Barbara van der Zee Obituary. The Guard-ian. May 19, 2022. Available at: www.theguardian.com/books/2022/may/19/barbara-van-der-zee-obituary. Accessed July 28, 2022.

total satisfaction of his customers to feel better. He realized many [pharmaceutical] drugs were not designed to cure chronic conditions and looked for other solutions such as food and supplements.

Bill never ran away from difficult decisions or situations that appeared hopeless or too expensive to achieve. Every-thing was possible in Bill’s eyes. I learned more about busi-ness working with Bill than in all the years in school and remember his wise advice every day.

Tom Schnorr, RPh, owner of Austin Compounding Phar-macy, wrote (email, April 19, 2022):

I met Bill in the early ’80s. I was a pharmacist in Hous-ton and deeply involved in the AIDS community. My only outlet was folk music and singer-songwriters who came to Houston to perform. I housed many while they traveled and treated starving musicians who needed medication or doctoring. I came to know Bill at big music events…. We became fast friends thereafter. We both were helping the music industry in our own similar ways.

In 2002, I walked into the South Lamar Peoples Rx and asked Bill why he was working the “case” (prescription counter). He said he was short a pharmacist. I said, “Not anymore.” He nodded, went out the door, glanced back, and said, “Cover me. I’m going to dinner.” Three days later, he came back and saw me still covering for his dinner and offered me a position at the store.

Three years later, I got an offer to buy my own store that was struggling to keep its doors open. Bill kept me on the payroll for a year to work weekends when my store was closed. That was the only money I made that year, and I thanked him for keeping a roof over my head…. I miss his essence. There is a hole … with his passing.

Bill Swail is survived by his life partner Elvie Taylor Swail; his children Jeneen, Michael, Charles, and Bradley; 10 grand-children; and his sister Marjorie Randall. A memorial service for Swail was held in Austin on February 13, 2022. Peoples Rx will continue to be owned by the Swail family and is guided by a board of directors.1,2

References1. Villalpando N. Founder of Peoples Rx pharmacy dies, leaving

legacy of personalized health care. Austin American-Statesman. February 4, 2022. Available at: www.statesman.com/story/news/local/2022/02/04/founder-austins-peoples-rx-pharmacy-bill-swail-dies/6648951001/. Accessed July 9, 2022.

2. William Lee (Bill) Swail. Austin American-Statesman. January 30, 2022. Available at: www.statesman.com/obituaries/p0187010. Accessed July 9, 2022.

3. Albiges M. Peoples Pharmacy owner Bill Swail: Shops’ holistic approach to Rx has grown loyal customer base. Community Impact. October 26, 2016. Available at: https://communityim-pact.com/austin/business/2016/10/26/taking-holistic-approach-rx-peoples-pharmacy-owner-bill-swail-says-shops-beloved-austin/. Accessed July 9, 2022.

By Hannah BaumanAuthor, historian, and journalist Barbara

Griggs died on January 20, 2022, at age 89. She is perhaps best known for her 1981 book Green Pharmacy: The History and Evolution of Western Herbal Medicine (Viking Press), a historical trea-tise that describes the growth of herbal medicine practices in Europe and North America. It often is considered one of the most comprehensive and accessible books on the subject.

Griggs was born on September 14, 1932, in Chipping Campden, England. She was the daughter of Frederick Landseer Griggs, an artist, and Nina Muir. After the deaths of Barbara’s father, older brother, and baby sister, her mother raised Barbara, the youngest, and her three sisters alone. The family was very close as a result, and Griggs maintained a deep love for her family throughout her life. Griggs studied English at the University of Birmingham and began a career in journalism in London, first at Vogue maga-zine and then as a columnist for the Express and London Evening Standard.

In 1969, Griggs met Henri van der Zee, a Dutch reporter and author who, at the time, was the London correspondent for

the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. They married in 1970, and Griggs became the fashion editor at the Daily Mail that year. In 1972, her daughter Bibi was born, followed by her daughter Ninka in 1973.

Also in 1973, her first book, William and Mary (Knopf), a biography of William of Orange and Mary Stuart, which she wrote with Henri, was published under the name Barbara van der Zee. Barbara and Henri wrote two more books about Dutch history: A Sweet and Alien Land: The Story of Dutch New York (Viking Press, 1978) and 1688: Revolution in the Family (Penguin, 1988). Around that time, some of her work, including Bibi’s Cook Book (Allen and Unwin, 1976), was published under the name Barbara Griggs. She credited Bibi’s Cook Book, which includes recipes for babies and was named after her daughter, as the beginning of her interest in nutrition. That led to her studying natu-

ral wellness and herbal medicine. In 1980, she left her job as a journalist to be a full-time author.

When researching Green Pharmacy, Griggs’ process was extensive. She interviewed practitioners and other leaders in the United Kingdom. She also traveled to the United States to learn about Native American practices, their integration into the Eclectic herbal medicine practice, and how this knowledge was later integrated into UK traditions. She sat in on patient consultations, spoke with natural product manufacturers, and interviewed academics, teachers, and special collections librar-ians. The scope of her research is reflected in the topics covered

Barbara Blanche Griggs1932 – 2022

photo courtesy ofBibi van der Zee

PURSLANEPortulaca oleracea, Portulacaceae

FOOD AS MEDICINE


*Well, not ALL the tests, but the ones that matter if your business is botanicals. †ISO/IEC 17025 valid for all medicinal plants & fungi.

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Nutrition Profile

Per 1 cup purslane (approx. 43 g)

Very good source of

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Vitamin C 9 mg 10% DV

Good source of

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Copper 0.05 mg 5.5% DV

Iron 0.9 mg 5% DV

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