ASP Endorses Botanical Adulterants Program

AUSTIN, TexasThe American Society of Pharmacognosy (ASP) announced its endorsement of the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program.

The educational program was designed to increase the herb, dietary supplement and natural product industries awareness of the demand for enhanced scrutiny through laboratory analysis of herbal raw materials, extracts and essential oils that may be accidentally or purposefully adulterated with lower-cost, non-disclosed ingredients.

The program is headed by three non-profit groups focused on research and education on medical herbs and other beneficial plants: the American Botanical Council (ABC), the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP), and the National Center for Natural Products Research (NCNPR) at the University of Mississippi.

ASP joins more than 100 nonprofit organizations, independent laboratories, industry members, trade associations and others that are financially underwriting and/or endorsing the Botanical Adulterants Program. These groups are located in the United States and abroad, reflecting the global nature of the botanical material supply chain.

Those of us working on the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program are especially honored by ASPs recognition of the value and significance of our work in this vitally important area," said Mark Blumenthal, ABC executive director. We hope to continue to merit the trust and confidence that ASP has placed in the program as we continue to publish extensively peer-reviewed articles and laboratory guidance documents to help members of the industry deal with this serious problem."

According to AHP executive director Roy Upton, "It is wonderful to have the endorsement of ASP, as it was yesteryear's classical pharmacognosists who were primarily responsible for ensuring that adulteration did not occur. Botanical pharmacognosy skills are exactly what are needed to ensure botanical supplement quality control."