A Webinar with ABC's Mark Blumenthal: How Does Botanical Adulteration Affect You?
 Natural medicines can really make a difference in our health and longevity. But great care must be taken to ensure the proper sourcing, identification, and standardization of these botanical-based medicines. Fortunately, most supplements are made following good manufacturing processes (GMPs), however, there is concern about adulteration in the global botanical marketplace. Adulteration can affect the quality, purity, and potency of herbal products. For instance, some manufacturers of grape seed extract have used high levels of peanut skin in their products. Other examples include using the wrong species of plant or illegal pharmaceutical drugs in products. While adulteration affects a relatively small percentage of products, the outcomes can be very dangerous. Join Mark Blumenthal, Founder and Executive Director of the American Botanical Council (ABC), an independent, nonprofit research and education organization dedicated to providing education using science-based and traditional information to promote responsible use of herbal medicine and related preparations from beneficial plants and fungi. He is the Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of HerbalGram, an award- winning international, peer-reviewed quarterly journal, the contents of which reflect the educational goals of ABC. He is also editor-in-chief of other ABC publications: “HerbalEGram”, HerbClip, and “Herbal News & Events.” Since 2010 Mr. Blumenthal has also been the Founder and Director of the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program, an international consortium of nonprofit research and professional organizations, analytical laboratories, university-based botanical research centers, industry trade organizations, and other parties that are researching and educating on the identity and authenticity of botanical raw materials, extracts, and essential oils in the global market with the objective of reducing mislabeling and fraud in the botanical market. |