ABC's Mark Blumenthal Responds to New York Times Article That Omits Acknowledgement of Herbal Industry's Aristolochic Acid Self-Regulation Efforts

FWD 2 ABC's Mark Blumenthal Responds to New York Times Article That Omits Acknowledgement of Herbal Industry's Aristolochic Acid Self-Regulation Efforts

HerbalEGram: Volume 8, Number 7, July 2011

Blumenthal Responds to New York Times Article That Omits Acknowledgement of Herbal Industry’s Self-Regulation Efforts

On June 11, 2011, the American Botanical Council’s Founder and Executive Director, Mark Blumenthal, sent a letter to the editor of the New York Times in response to a recent article on the National Toxicology Program’s updated report on carcinogens.¹ Blumenthal wrote to address the article's brief discussion on the listing as a carcinogen of aristolochic acid, which is found in various plants that are no longer widely traded in the US herb market due to a combination of industry self-education and self-regulation and governmental regulatory activity. Blumenthal wrote:

The toxicity and carcinogenicity of aristolochic acid (AA), found in several species of plants, have been known for many years. As noted in your article, the Food and Drug Administration advised the public about its being an adulterant in some Chinese herbal products in 2001.^1,2 Prior to that, in 1997, and later in 2001, in a self-regulatory initiative, the American Herbal Products Association, an industry trade association, notified its members of the potential accidental confusion and contamination of safe herbs with AA-containing plants. Since then responsible herb manufacturers in the US and worldwide have been employing appropriate quality-control measures to preclude the unintentional inclusion of AA-plants in commercial herbal products.

Unfortunately, the New York Times never responded to Blumenthal and it appears that the letter was never published.

References

1. Harris, G. Government says 2 materials pose a risk of cancer. New York Times. June 11, 2011;A1.Available at: www.nytimes.com/2011/06/11/health/11cancer.html.

2. Aristolochic Acid: FDA Warns Consumers to Discontinue Use of Botanical Products that Contain Aristolochic Acid. Dietary Supplement Alert; April 11, 2001. US Food and Drug Administration. Available at: www.fda.gov/food/dietarysupplements/alerts/ucm096388.htm.