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More Than 100 Groups Support ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program
(AUSTIN, Texas, March 1, 2013) The ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants
Program announces that it has reached the milestone of having more than 100
underwriters and endorsers. They include some of the biggest names in the
botanical and dietary supplement community, including botanical dietary
ingredient suppliers, supplement manufacturers, trade and professional
associations, colleges and universities, analytical laboratories, contract
research organizations, media companies, and law firms.
Three leading nonprofit organizations – the American Botanical Council (ABC),
the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP), and the University of Mississippi’s
National Center for Natural Products Research (NCNPR) – initiated this ongoing program
in 2011 to educate members of the herbal and dietary supplement industry and
numerous other stakeholders in the herb, dietary supplement, and natural
medicine arenas about ingredient and product authenticity and adulteration.
“We are deeply gratified by the huge outpouring of
support that we have received on this vitally needed educational program,” said
Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of ABC, and Program manager.
“Wherever we have gone to solicit financial, technical, and other types of
support, we have almost always received a positive response. This reflects the
high level of concern that many responsible elements in the herb and natural
health community – including, but not limited to, the herb and dietary
supplement industry – have about the quality and reliability of herbal
supplements, teas, etc. Even though it’s apparent that there are many
authentic, high-quality, reliable ingredients and products, the fact remains
that there are identity and quality problems that have persisted far too long,
and now many of us are circling the wagons to reduce and hopefully eliminate
some of the errors and fraud that exist in this field.”
The ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program focuses on both
accidental adulteration that may occur due to inadequate quality-control
procedures, as well as intentional adulteration of plant-based ingredients for
financial gain. In an industry that saw sales rise 4.5% in 2011 to an
estimated figure of nearly $5.3 billion (USD) in herbal dietary supplement
product retail sales in the United States alone, documented cases of
adulteration of raw materials, i.e.,
problems related to ingredient authenticity and quality, is a matter of growing
concern.
Title 21 of the US Code of
Federal Regulations defines adulteration as the “Addition of an impure, cheap,
or unnecessary ingredient to cheat, cheapen, or falsify an ingredient or
preparation.” The Code also deems a product adulterated “if any substance
has been added thereto or mixed or packed therewith so as to increase its bulk
or weight, or reduce its quality or strength, or make it appear better or of
greater value than it is.”
The primary intention of the ABC-AHP-NCNPR
Botanical Adulterants Program is to help protect consumers and responsible
members of the herb and dietary supplement industry, as well as other
manufacturers, from purchasing adulterated raw materials. This is done by the
Program’s publishing a series of detailed articles that serve as an authoritative
source of information on botanical adulterants. These articles contain references
to published official and unofficial analytical methods for company and/or
third-party quality control laboratories to consider using to detect the
presence (or absence) of known adulterants.
To date, four papers on the topic of botanical adulteration have been
published in ABC’s quarterly scientific, peer-reviewed journal HerbalGram. The first of these, A Brief History of Adulteration of Herbs,
Spices, and Botanical Drugs, written by noted botanical expert Steven Foster,
appeared in the winter 2011 issue (#92). The article provides a history of accidental and intentional
adulteration of botanical ingredients spanning the past two millennia.
In the spring of 2012, HerbalGram
featured another article by Foster, covering the adulteration of skullcap with American germander. The
herb skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora),
has been used as a mild sedative for more than a century, but, in the early
1980s, it became erroneously implicated as a possible source of liver toxicity,
likely due to adulteration with or substitution of American germander (Teucrium canadense).
The third feature in the series is The Adulteration of Commercial “Grapefruit
Seed Extract” with Synthetic Antimicrobial and Disinfectant Compounds, written
by John H. Cardellina II, PhD, and published in HerbalGram #94. A popular ingredient in natural products, grapefruit
seed extract (GFSE) has appeared in cosmetics and dermatological preparations as
well as dietary supplements. The article reviews 10 published analytical studies
published in international journals demonstrating that samples of GFSE were adulterated
with various synthetic chemicals, including the disinfectant triclosan. The
article concludes that a significant amount of GFSE is adulterated, or at least
was at the time the 10 analyses occurred over a 20-year period, and that GFSE’s
promoted antimicrobial activity may be due to the presence of these synthetic
antimicrobial adulterants, rather than the extract itself.
The most recent article in the series, The Adulteration of Commercial Bilberry
Extracts, also written by Foster, was published in the
winter 2012 issue of HerbalGram. Bilberry
fruit (Vaccinium myrtillus) is a
popular food in Europe where it grows wild throughout Scandinavia and Eastern
Europe. It is also a best-selling supplement ingredient in the US marketplace. In
a probable example of economically motived adulteration, it seems that many
bilberry extracts are adulterated with a “confusing morass” of ingredients,
including black soybean hull extract, amaranth dye (also known as Red Dye No.
2), charcoal, and various other fruits.
With more than 100 underwriters
and endorsers of the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program, Blumenthal
says that he believes that this widespread support will continue to bring the global
problem of adulteration to the attention of members of the herbal and dietary
supplement community.
“We will continue to invite more companies, organizations, and others –
both in the US and internationally – to join with us in this educational quest
to increase knowledge about authenticity and adulteration problems,” said
Blumenthal. “Adulteration is an ancient and global problem. With increased
education through an effective program, we believe we can significantly reduce,
perhaps even eliminate, some of the problems in the market.”
In addition to the series of articles, the Adulterants Program includes
contributions and consultations from some of the leading independent
third-party laboratories with experience in quality control and botanical
identification issues. The editorial committee, which advises on all technical
publications, includes expert scientists from various universities, government
agencies, and third-party analytical laboratories with extensive knowledge of
herbal quality control. The Program also is being supported by leading trade
associations in the dietary supplement industry, including the Consumer
Healthcare Products Association, the Council for Responsible Nutrition, the
Natural Products Association, and the United Natural Products Alliance.
About the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants
Program
The ABC-AHP-NCNPR
Botanical Adulterants Program is a consortium of independent nonprofit
organizations whose mission relates to education, scientific research, and
quality of botanical dietary ingredients and related plant-derived materials.
The consortium is underwritten or endorsed by more than 100 natural product
industry companies, independent analytical laboratories, contract research
organizations, law firms, trade associations, and accredited institutions of
education in natural medicine, all of which are involved in the production,
supply, manufacture, distribution, marketing, analysis, research, and/or
education of herbal dietary ingredients and supplements. Companies, organizations,
foundations, and/or individuals interested in supporting this program are
invited to contact Ms. Denise Meikel, ABC development director, at (512)
926-4900, ext. 120, or by email.
Underwriters
and Supporters of the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program (as of March
1, 2013)*
Financial Underwriters
AdvoCare International L.P.
Amen Clinics
Amway/Nutrilite Health Institute
Aveda Corporation
BI Nutraceuticals
Bioceuticals
Blackmores
Cepham, Inc.
Chemi Nutra
dicentra, Inc.
Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps
Emerson Ecologics
Enzymatic Therapy, Inc.
Ethical Naturals, Inc.
EuroMed
EuroMedica
EuroPharma
Eu Yan Sang International
Flavex Naturextrakte GmbH
Gaia Herbs
Gencor Nutrients, Inc.
GNC, Inc.
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Helios Corp.
Herbalife International, Inc.
Herb Pharm
Horphag Research
Indena USA, Inc.
Markan Global Enterprises, Inc.
Martin Bauer, Inc.
Metabolic Maintenance Products
Metagenics, Inc.
Natural Factors Nutritional Products, Inc.
/Bioclinic Naturals
Nature's Sunshine Products
Nature's Way
Naturex, Inc.
NBTY, Inc.
New Chapter, Inc.
The New Frontier Foundation Fund of the
Greater Cedar Rapids Community
Foundation
Ningbo Greenhealth Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Novel Ingredients
NOW Foods
Nu Skin Enterprises/Pharmanex
Nutritional Laboratories International
Pacific Nutritional Inc.
Paragon Laboratories
Perrigo Company
Pharmavite, LLC
Pure Encapsulations
Rainbow Light Nutritional Systems
RFI Ingredients, LLC
Sabinsa Corporation
Schwabe North America
Standard Process, Inc.
Thorne Research, Inc.
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Traditional Medicinals, Inc.
Triarco Industries, Inc.
Valensa International
V.D.F. FutureCeuticals
Verdure Sciences
Vitamin Shoppe
Weil Lifestyle, LLC
Whole Foods Market
ZMC-USA
Trade Associations
Consumer Healthcare Products Association
Council for Responsible Nutrition
Natural Products Association
United Natural Products Alliance
Nonprofit/Professional Associations
American Association of Naturopathic Physicians
Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
Colleges/Universities
Bastyr University
National College of Natural Medicine
Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine
University of Bridgeport College of Naturopathic Medicine
Third-Party Analytical Laboratories
Alkemists Laboratories
Bent Creek Institute
British Columbia Institute of Technology
ChromaDex
Covance Laboratories
Eurofins
Flora Research Labs
NSF International
Spectrix Labs
Tampa Bay Analytical
Media
Engredea
Natural Foods Merchandiser
Natural Products INSIDER
Nutraceuticals World
NutraingredientsUSA.com
Nutritional Outlook
Nutrition Business Journal
Nutrition Industry Executive
Vitamin Retailer
Whole Foods Magazine
Law Firms
Amin Talati, LLC
Greenberg Traurig, LLP (James Prochnow)
Law Office of Holly Bayne, P.C.
Contract Research Organizations
KGK Synergize
Medicus Research
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*By acknowledging
the generous support of these companies and organizations, ABC, AHP, and NCNPR
are not endorsing any ingredients or products that may be produced or marketed
by them.
About the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP) AHP is a 501(c)(3) California-based nonprofit research
organization. AHP's primary goal is to develop standards of identity, purity,
quality, and testing for botanical ingredients and to provide industry with the
resources needed to assure the authenticity and quality of botanical raw
materials. Additionally, with most all monographs, AHP develops a Therapeutic
Compendium that provides a critical review of the authoritative
traditional and scientific data on herbal medicines to ensure a high level of
accuracy, clinical applicability, and safety of herbal ingredients. AHP also
provides industry with authenticated AHP-Verified Botanical Reference Materials
for GMP compliance with identity requirements.
About the National Center for Natural Products
Research (NCNPR)
The National Center for Natural Products Research
(NCNPR) at the School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, is a unique
university-affiliated research center devoted to the study of natural products
and the realization of their benefits in human health, agriculture, and other
applications. The NCNPR is recognized as a Center of Excellence for botanical
supplements by the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
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