American Botanical Council

The ABC story began back in the 1970s when founder and Executive Director Mark Blumenthal realized customers of his bulk herbal products business, Sweethardt Herbs, had little knowledge regarding the herbal medicine options in existence around the world.

With a new interest in education, he began publishing Herb News in 1977, the industry newsletter that evolved six years later into HerbalGram. As the herbal industry grew in American and began facing growing opposition from regulatory agencies, Mark saw the need to provide reliable, scientifically sound information about medicinal herbs to an increasingly confused public. On November 1, 1988 the American Botanical Council was incorporated as a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit educational and research organization.

ABC has undertaken numerous projects in the interest of bringing new and researched information to the public, including the 1993 Ginseng Evaluation Program, in which hundreds of Ginseng products were tested, the HerbClip™ Educational Mailing Service to provide articles with summaries and critical reviews to industry leaders, research scientists, and healthcare professionals, and an internship program that invites dietitian and pharmacy students to ABC for one- through six-week rotations.

As well, in the summer of 1998 ABC published the English translation of The Complete German Commission E Monographs – Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines, the monographs being called “the most accurate information available in the entire world on the safety and efficacy of herbs and phytomedicines by late Distinguished Professor of Pharmacognosy Emeritus Varro Tyler.

Today, ABC occupies the historic Case Mill Homestead in Austin, Texas – a first-of-its-kind facility, and continues to be the leading nonprofit educational and research organization bringing awareness and science-based information to promote the safe and effective use of medicinal plants and phytomedicines.

www.herbalgram.org