11.15.11
The American Botanical Council (ABC) has published a new quality specifications resource that assists the herb industry in matching the various existing quality standards for botanical ingredients with their intended uses in foods, dietary supplements and medicines. In a detailed review of the myriad standards for botanical ingredients, ABC Advisory Board member Josef Brinckmann provides examples of quality and labeling standards for various botanicals. He quantifies differences in the "composition, purity, quality and strength" of commercially-traded ingredients, while providing links to specific monographs and compendia that contain various specifications for botanical quality. With an increasingly complex system of criteria and qualifications, this article serves as a resource for manufacturers and any others concerned with botanical quality. The article appears in the Fall 2011 issue of HerbalGram (#91). For further information: www.herbalgram.org