In this interview Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of the American Botanical Council, discusses the serious issue of adulteration in the natural products industry. Blumenthal also describes the Botanical Adulterants Program and how it is helping to educate people about this troubling topic.
About the Expert
Mark Blumenthal is the founder and executive director of the American Botanical Council (ABC), the leading independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to disseminating accurate, reliable, and responsible information on herbs and medicinal plants.
Blumenthal is the editor/publisher of HerbalGram, an international, peer-reviewed quarterly journal. He is the senior editor of the English translation of The Complete German Commission E Monographs–Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines (1998), Herbal Medicine: Expanded Commission E Monographs (2000), and The ABC Clinical Guide to Herbs (2003), and he is coauthor of Rational Phytotherapy, 5th edition (2004). He has appeared on over 400 radio and television shows and has written over 500 articles, reviews and book chapters for many major publications. In 2010 he was awarded the prestigious Tyler Prize in honor of the late Purdue Professor Varro E. Tyler from the American Society of Pharmacognosy.
In 2008 he was awarded the “Natural Legacy” award from Natural Foods Merchandiser magazine and he has also been named to Natural Health magazine’s Hall of Fame Award for “opening America’s eye to the healing powers of herbs.” He has been a leader in the concerns for more rational regulations of herbal and natural product manufacturing, and education on plant-based medicines for over 40 years.