USP Establishes Botanical Advisory Panel

USP Establishes Botanical Advisory Panel

ROCKVILLE, Md.--The U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP)established the USP Botanical Advisory Panel to advise its Dietary SupplementsBotanicals Expert Committee (DSBEC) on the development of information onbotanicals to supplement the standards in the USP-NF (USP-NationalFormulary). The panel will also explore the feasibility of developing AuthenticPlant Reference Materials.

"With the formation of the advisory panel, we will be ableto obtain and disseminate information on how to improve the quality ofbotanicals," said David B. Roll, director of dietary supplements at USP (www.usp.org)."Historically, USP has created standards for botanical products; however,we have never looked at factors that favor optimal growth, handling and storageof botanicals."

The panel includes 12 members from academia, government andindustry, and is headed by William F. Popin, director of research anddevelopment for Young Living Essential Oils and a member of the DSBEC. Othermembers of the panel include: Rudolf Bauer, professor, Institut fuerPharmakognosie; Mark Blumenthal, executive director, American Botanical Council;Ezio Bomabardelli, Indena S.p.A.; John Cardellina, vice president, Council forResponsible Nutrition; Edward Fletcher, Strategic Sourcing Inc.; James Miller,curator, Missouri Botanical Garden; Simon Mills, professor, University ofExeter; Kathy Sharpless, NIST; Greg Pennyroyal, president, Growing MedicineInc.; Amala Raman, senior postgraduate tutor, King's College; and Roy Upton,executive director, American Herbal Pharmacopoeia.

The panel held its first meeting in November, when it agreed tofocus its efforts on black cohosh, ginger, saw palmetto and valerian, which alsohave USP monographs. The panel also planned to create additional informationchapters in the USP-NF.