<div dir="ltr">American Botanical Council's twenty five-year history tracks major issues and advances on U.S. medicinal plant topics through 100 issues of HerbalGram! <div><div><br></div><div><div><div>Patricia S. De Angelis, Ph.D.</div>
<div>Botanist, Division of Scientific Authority-US Fish & Wildlife Service-International Affairs</div><div>Chair, Medicinal Plant Working Group-Plant Conservation Alliance</div><div>4401 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 110</div>
<div>Arlington, VA 22203</div><div>703-358-1708 x1753</div><div>FAX: 703-358-2276</div><div><br></div><div>Promoting sustainable use and conservation of our native medicinal plants. </div><div><<a href="http://www.nps.gov/plants/medicinal" target="_blank">www.nps.gov/plants/medicinal</a>></div>
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<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">ABC Public Relations</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:publicrelations@herbalgram.org">publicrelations@herbalgram.org</a>></span><br>
Date: Fri, Nov 29, 2013 at 11:10 AM<br>Subject: PRESS RELEASE: American Botanical Council Publishes 100th Issue of HerbalGram<br><br><br>
News Release<br>
<br>
American Botanical Council Publishes 100th Issue of HerbalGram<br>
<br>
Publication Milestone Coincides with Nonprofit's 25th Anniversary<br>
<br>
(AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 29, 2013) The 100th issue of the acclaimed<br>
magazine HerbalGram hits mailboxes and select retailers around the<br>
world this month, and debuts online<br>
<a href="http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=bdeU1y2kNe22djd0Xe6PCQ" target="_blank">http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=bdeU1y2kNe22djd0Xe6PCQ</a><br>
<br>
. Thirty years in the making, the magazine has grown in tandem with<br>
the herbal community and the American Botanical Council<br>
<a href="http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=w2LpVzZIJdpNDQTGrNFp8g" target="_blank">http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=w2LpVzZIJdpNDQTGrNFp8g</a><br>
<br>
(ABC), which was created to support the publication and thereby<br>
further herbal education.<br>
<br>
HerbalGram is the quarterly journal of ABC, a nonprofit organization<br>
dedicated to providing education using science-based and traditional<br>
information to promote responsible use of herbal medicine. ABC<br>
achieves another landmark accomplishment this November - its<br>
25th anniversary. While HerbalGram's first issue was printed in<br>
1983, ABC was founded in 1988 to help the publication make the<br>
transition from newsletter to magazine. Since then, ABC has become an<br>
award-winning nonprofit with members in more than 80 countries around<br>
the world, and HerbalGram - once a black-and-white newsletter<br>
- is now a full-color magazine filled with peer-reviewed<br>
articles on herbal medicine and colorful botanical photography,<br>
available both in print and online<br>
<a href="http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=LkSXgz46csKUOxtUp2TUKw" target="_blank">http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=LkSXgz46csKUOxtUp2TUKw</a><br>
<br>
, in high-definition color and detail.<br>
<br>
"When Rob McCaleb and I first started writing HerbalGram<br>
as a quarterly newsletter back in 1983, it never occurred to me how it<br>
would look and what impact it would have 30 years later," said<br>
ABC Founder and Executive Director Mark Blumenthal.<br>
<br>
"After working on it as a volunteer labor of love on nights and<br>
weekends, I eventually wanted to see it evolve as sort of a Scientific<br>
American of herbs, replete with color photography, authoritative<br>
articles, and other aspects of the publication that could provide<br>
credibility to the proposition that the emerging scientific research<br>
was frequently able to document and support the general safety and<br>
many health benefits of numerous popular and yet-to-become popular<br>
herbs," continued Blumenthal. "HerbalGram was the kernel<br>
of the founding and development of the American Botanical Council, and<br>
its many unique educational publications and programs. I truly love<br>
producing HerbalGram and, with ABC's great staff, I hope to live<br>
long enough and be active enough to help produce another 100<br>
issues!"<br>
<br>
More than 30 years ago, Blumenthal produced the very first<br>
HerbalGram - then titled "Herb News" and<br>
subtitled "Herbalgram" - which eventually matured<br>
into the magazine currently read around the world. Blumenthal wrote<br>
and edited articles for the HerbalGram newsletter in what spare<br>
time was available while running his former herb distribution<br>
business, Sweethardt Herbs. Originally published with the financial<br>
support of the newly formed American Herbal Products Association, of<br>
which Blumenthal was a founding board member, the first<br>
HerbalGram was an eight-page, black-and-white,<br>
stapled-at-the-spine newsletter. The contents included "herb<br>
blurbs" on herbal scientific happenings, herbal-related news<br>
articles, a handful of paragraph-long "Rob's Research<br>
Reviews" - authored by then-Associate Editor McCaleb (who<br>
was head of research at Celestial Seasonings at the time) -<br>
along with listings of herbal information resources and schools, and<br>
more.<br>
<br>
In the years that followed, ABC was founded,<br>
HerbalGram introduced color illustrations to its pages, and staff<br>
grew beyond the duo of Blumenthal and McCaleb. In 1992, HerbalGram #28<br>
<a href="http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=KmUDIjbmB_xJZqTzMPB6zA" target="_blank">http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=KmUDIjbmB_xJZqTzMPB6zA</a><br>
<br>
became the first full-glossy, four-color issue, and showcased the<br>
first botanical photograph to grace the magazine's cover:<br>
Harvard's glass flowers. By 1999, HerbalGram had expanded to 82<br>
pages with an additional 32-page book catalog, closely resembling the<br>
magazine as it is produced today.<br>
<br>
HerbalGram is now a leading publication in the botanical community.<br>
Its staff includes an art director and three full-time editors, plus<br>
Blumenthal as editor-in-chief. In addition to its in-house writers,<br>
botanical experts from around the world write and peer review articles<br>
for the magazine. HerbalGram is read by thousands of individuals<br>
in more than 80 countries, representing a range of diverse professions<br>
from research scientists (e.g., pharmacognosists, ethnobotanists,<br>
etc.) and health practitioners (e.g., herbalists, naturopathic<br>
physicians, pharmacists, conventionally trained physicians, et al.),<br>
to industry members and government regulators, as well as<br>
health-conscious consumers. Digitally archived issues of HerbalGram<br>
dating back to the spring 1990 issue #22 are available through the ABC<br>
website<br>
<a href="http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=h-9MgJ_nphRshFpyC-U81w" target="_blank">http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=h-9MgJ_nphRshFpyC-U81w</a><br>
<br>
.<br>
<br>
"I came late to the HerbalGram party with the summer 1987<br>
issue No. 13, the first in my archived collection," said Francis<br>
Brinker, ND, a clinical assistant professor in the Department of<br>
Medicine at the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine<br>
and author of several renowned books on herbs. "It has been a<br>
joy to be in on the birth of ABC and to be celebrating it through 25<br>
years. It has served as a bedrock of reliable information, entertained<br>
with the obscure, and dazzled with the colorful world of global herbs<br>
and herbalists. From herbal society news to the context of science to<br>
commercial and political concerns to enrichment from cultural<br>
traditions, I have grown in my knowledge and appreciation of all<br>
things herbal through the help of HerbalGram and the other channels<br>
that ABC has made available."<br>
<br>
It may be impossible to quantify the impact that 100 issues of<br>
HerbalGram have had on the herbal community and the world at large,<br>
but noted photographer, author, and ABC Board of Trustees President<br>
Steven Foster attempted to do just that in his retrospective,<br>
"Reflections on 100 Issues of HerbalGram<br>
<br>
<a href="http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=PAIGJniGTHn4ymVGyEobzQ" target="_blank">http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=PAIGJniGTHn4ymVGyEobzQ</a><br>
<br>
." In his thorough examination of all 100 issues of the<br>
magazine, Foster highlighted many of the seminal articles published in<br>
HerbalGram's annals. Among them are herbalist Chris Hobbs'<br>
1989 review of St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum), published<br>
nearly a decade before the herb came to prominence in the United<br>
States; breaking news coverage of the Dietary Supplement Health and<br>
Education Act<br>
<a href="http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=-5PShAWxWpJjjgwOCMqvIg" target="_blank">http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=-5PShAWxWpJjjgwOCMqvIg</a><br>
<br>
(DSHEA) of 1994; the FDA's ban of ephedra<br>
<a href="http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=SA8T8Yrcr3PiM3YZuXwZ3g" target="_blank">http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=SA8T8Yrcr3PiM3YZuXwZ3g</a><br>
<br>
(Ephedra sinica) in 2004; the effects of climate change on medicinal<br>
plants<br>
<a href="http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=IYNGzsKFUoqgLkygEfkLvQ" target="_blank">http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=IYNGzsKFUoqgLkygEfkLvQ</a><br>
<br>
; and many more.<br>
<br>
Thanks to the timing of both the 100th HerbalGram and ABC's<br>
25th anniversary, this issue includes 24 bonus pages highlighting ABC<br>
and its history as well as the journal's signature peer-reviewed<br>
herb profiles, features, news, research reviews, and more. A timeline<br>
<br>
<a href="http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=5nr0luxXmviu40gS6kksWg" target="_blank">http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=5nr0luxXmviu40gS6kksWg</a><br>
<br>
of the organization's growth is interspersed with landmark<br>
events in the herbal community; the story of ABC's headquarters<br>
<br>
<a href="http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=1cnatQGUfrFIca6z22xS1Q" target="_blank">http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=1cnatQGUfrFIca6z22xS1Q</a><br>
<br>
- which dates back to the mid-19th century - is<br>
paired with a series of wet plate collodion photographs of ABC's<br>
grounds, buildings, and medicinal plant gardens, captured by<br>
HerbalGram art director Matthew Magruder.<br>
<br>
"HerbalGram and ABC have been vital links between the<br>
scientific world, herbalists, and consumers thanks to Mark's<br>
persistent networking with everyone involved," said John<br>
Beutler, PhD, associate scientist for the National Cancer Institute.<br>
"In an arena with plenty of nonsense, HerbalGram has brought<br>
good information to people in an appealing format."<br>
<br>
Over the course of HerbalGram and ABC's shared existence, each<br>
has influenced the shape and scope of the other. ABC has grown from<br>
producing one publication to four - including HerbClip(TM)<br>
<a href="http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=I095TK2e_T_oH_1ZihA2Tw" target="_blank">http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=I095TK2e_T_oH_1ZihA2Tw</a><br>
<br>
, HerbalEGram<br>
<a href="http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=o2doehWzd4hmeMcIcXtvmQ" target="_blank">http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=o2doehWzd4hmeMcIcXtvmQ</a><br>
<br>
, and Herbal News & Events - and now offers eight databases<br>
of research on herbal medicine and beneficial botanicals through the<br>
ABC website<br>
<a href="http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=XhuFmWiA9xFZa1zIase97g" target="_blank">http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=XhuFmWiA9xFZa1zIase97g</a><br>
<br>
. Reaching far beyond its original network of friends and compatriots<br>
in the herbal community, the organization now has thousands of members<br>
and an additional 28,000 supporters who receive some of ABC's<br>
electronic publications and have free access to a portion of<br>
ABC's online resources.<br>
<br>
The potential impact and importance of HerbalGram's content has<br>
increased over the years as well. The magazine presents groundbreaking<br>
research on botanicals from the far corners of the world, timely<br>
updates and perspectives on legislation that affects the herbal<br>
industry, Foster's distinctive plant photography, and more. In<br>
November 2011, HerbalGram became the primary outlet for the<br>
publications of the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulteration Program<br>
<a href="http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=7k0CmwFC2wO6c6_uAqvEXA" target="_blank">http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=7k0CmwFC2wO6c6_uAqvEXA</a><br>
<br>
, one of ABC's most significant projects to date. Issue 92<br>
introduced the first in a series of adulteration pieces, titled<br>
"A Brief History of Adulteration of Herbs, Spices, and Botanical<br>
Drugs<br>
<a href="http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=mWyFeo52j7Pw7sOFlWhRfQ" target="_blank">http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=mWyFeo52j7Pw7sOFlWhRfQ</a><br>
<br>
," written by Foster. Thus far, HerbalGram published four<br>
extensively peer-reviewed feature articles on the adulteration of<br>
specific botanicals: skullcap <br>
<a href="http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=c8EekuHuvVzv_l3sGOURcg" target="_blank">http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=c8EekuHuvVzv_l3sGOURcg</a><br>
<br>
(Scutellaria lateriflora), so-called "grapefruit seed<br>
extract<br>
<a href="http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=4bUmgcL9Ai22MqqwyqjwyA" target="_blank">http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=4bUmgcL9Ai22MqqwyqjwyA</a><br>
<br>
," bilberry <br>
<a href="http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=MeVf-CsRu-BDCIA6OabC6A" target="_blank">http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=MeVf-CsRu-BDCIA6OabC6A</a><br>
<br>
(Vaccinium myrtillus) extract, and black cohosh<br>
<br>
<a href="http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=DjR6peARNqzZW3FKGZ-J-w" target="_blank">http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=DjR6peARNqzZW3FKGZ-J-w</a><br>
<br>
(Actaea racemosa syn. Cimicifuga racemosa). All are available<br>
for free on ABC's website<br>
<a href="http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=-kxHS6jQCfxcM0p7ygsyAA" target="_blank">http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=-kxHS6jQCfxcM0p7ygsyAA</a><br>
<br>
.<br>
<br>
If the initial mission of HerbalGram was to become a reliable,<br>
trusted source of information on herbal medicine, then at 100 issues,<br>
the magazine appears to have not only met, but exceeded that goal.<br>
<br>
About the American Botanical Council<br>
<br>
Founded in 1988, the American Botanical Council is a leading<br>
international nonprofit organization that addresses research and<br>
educational issues regarding botanicals, teas, medicinal plants,<br>
essential oils, and other beneficial plant-derived materials.<br>
ABC's members include individuals, companies, and organizations<br>
in the herb, dietary supplement, and cosmetic industries; journalists;<br>
consumers; and others in more than 80 countries. The organization<br>
occupies a historic 2.5-acre site in Austin, Texas, where it publishes<br>
the peer-reviewed quarterly journal HerbalGram, the monthly<br>
e-publication HerbalEGram, the weekly e-newsletter Herbal News &<br>
Events, HerbClips (summaries of scientific and clinical publications),<br>
reference books, and other educational materials. ABC also hosts<br>
HerbMedPro, a powerful herbal database, covering scientific and<br>
clinical publications on more than 250 herbs. ABC also co-produces the<br>
"Herbal Insights" segment for Healing Quest, a television<br>
series on PBS.<br>
<br>
ABC is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code.<br>
Information: Contact ABC at P.O. Box 144345, Austin, TX 78714-4345,<br>
Phone: 512-926-4900. Website: <a href="http://www.herbalgram.org" target="_blank">www.herbalgram.org</a><br>
<a href="http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=_zVVHEZNJRI-ZBCePU955A" target="_blank">http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=_zVVHEZNJRI-ZBCePU955A</a><br>
<br>
. Contact: Public Relations<br>
<a href="http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=m-OQdEYmqt8lRCqP6QQ_Zg" target="_blank">http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=m-OQdEYmqt8lRCqP6QQ_Zg</a><br>
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American Botanical Council, 6200 Manor Rd, Austin, TX 78723<br>
Phone: 512-926-4900 | Fax: 512-926-2345 | web: <a href="http://abc.herbalgram.org" target="_blank">abc.herbalgram.org</a><br>
</div><br></div></div></div>