Josef Brinckmann receives ABC Champion Award

ABC's Mark Blumenthal at the March 2016 awards ceremony. Photo: ABC

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Medicinal plant expert Josef Brinckmann has been named the recipient of the American Botanical Council (ABC) Champion Award for 2016.

Brinckmann is medicinal plants research fellow at Traditional Medicinals. He joined the company in 1979 as manager of operations and purchasing, and later served as vice president of research and development and vice president of sustainability.

Starting in 2011, Brinckmann has also co-authored more than 20 herb profiles with ABC Special Projects Director Gayle Engels. Brinckmann has also written numerous feature articles, including the cover story of issue 75 on Peruvian maca and a feature in issue 90 on quality standards for botanical ingredients. Additionally, he has served as a peer reviewer for scores of articles in ABC publications.

“This award could not go to a better recipient. Josef is a true champion of the plants,” said Engels. “I wish that all of ABC’s constituents were aware of how tremendously beneficial his participation is to ABC and its educational mission. I am in awe of his breadth of knowledge and commitment to quality and am honored to have worked with him over the years.”

The ABC Champion Award was created to recognize individuals who have been outstanding supporters of ABC and have helped the organization promote and achieve its nonprofit educational mission. The generosity of ABC’s friends and members is vital to the nonprofit’s continued success and growth.

“While those of us working in the field are not carrying out the work in hopes of an eventual award, I am deeply appreciative that my life’s work for the sustainable harvesting and rational use of medicinal plants is being recognized by the American Botanical Council,” wrote Brinckmann. “I am genuinely grateful for the opportunities given to me over the years to research and write about the plants in support of ABC’s educational mission.”

“An immense investment of personal time and energy”

“Previous recipients of this award — my good friends Terry Lemerond and Ed Smith — were acknowledged for their generous donations of their personal funds to ABC to support our unique nonprofit research and educational mission, publications, and programs,” said ABC Founder and Executive Director Mark Blumenthal.

“This year we acknowledge Josef Brinckmann for investing an immense amount of his personal time and energy in providing ABC with his extensive knowledge and global experience to support ABC’s numerous educational publications and programs.”

The award will be presented at the 12th annual ABC Botanical Celebration and Awards Ceremony in Anaheim, California, on March 9, 2017.