Herbal

Industry coalition targets carbon emissions in herbal supply chain

12-Apr-2024 By Asia Sherman

A new coalition known as the Scope 3 Herbal Footprinting Working Group is taking on climate change by collecting data on greenhouse gas emissions associated with the agricultural production of herbs.

Fermedics: Enhancing botanical bioavailability with fermentation

25-Sep-2023 By Olivia Brown

The startup Fermedics has emphasised the potential “breakthrough opportunities” of targeted fermentation to improve the bioavailability and digestibility of botanicals, heightening the effectiveness of dietary supplements.

Vitafoods Special

Anti-aging skin benefits offered by botanical blend, new study finds

12-Apr-2023 By Olivia Haslam

A new clinical study demonstrates “statistically significant improvements” in skin with the supplementation of Eternalyoung (EY), a blend of four botanical ingredients from Monteloeder, S. L.

Global review spotlights most widely used supplements during Covid-19

14-Feb-2023 By Olivia Brown

Vitamin C, D and Zinc were the most widely reported supplements used during COVID, whilst natural/herbal products including ginger and honey were also popular, a new systematic review concludes.

MLM founded on benefits of berry species advised to drop health claims

24-Oct-2022 By Hank Schultz

Visi, an MLM founded on the benefits of the Arctic Cloudberry, has been advised by a self regulatory body to discontinue some health claims made on its products both in company communications and statements by distributors.

Supplement brand Herbalist & Alchemist celebrates 40 years in business as it plans move to new facility

16-Aug-2022 By Hank Schultz

Herbalist & Alchemist, a manufacturer of liquid dietary supplements, celebrated its 40th anniversary last week.

Arizona naturopathic college’s new facility helping to create better botanical extracts

11-Mar-2022 By Hank Schultz

A substantial gift has helped a prominent naturopathic college in Arizona become a botanical research partner that can help companies produce products verified for their biological activity, school officials say.

Dutch authorities highlight St. John's wort supplements and tea effects on drug action

17-Mar-2021 By Will Chu

Dutch authorities are advising consumers to exercise caution when consuming dietary supplements and tea containing St. John's wort, owing to adverse effects observed in combination with medicines.

Guest article

CBD, climate crisis, sustainability: ABC takes a look at 2019 and beyond

20-Dec-2019 By Stefan Gafner and Mark Blumenthal, American Botanical Council

The news about CBD and hemp extracts dominated 2019, says the American Botanical Council. But issues surrounding the ongoing climate crisis, questions of sustainability, and the ongoing questions of adulteration were important topics as well.

Entrepreneurs hope new hangover shot will jumpstart category in US to match its popularity in Asia

24-Oct-2019 By Hank Schultz

A new hangover cure developed from Asian medicinal traditions aims to make the category as popular in the United States as it is in South Korea, the developers say.

Tariffs starting to inflict real pain, trade association exec says

24-Oct-2019 By Hank Schultz

A vast and growing majority of American companies doing business in China have been negatively affected by the US-China trade war, an expert on the matter said at a recent meeting.

News in brief

Sustainable Herbs Program forms advisory group

22-Oct-2019 By Hank Schultz

The Sustainable Herbs Program has announced the formation of its initial Advisory Board, which includes 16 experts from the fields of herbal product formulation and research.

EDITOR'S SPOTLIGHT

Bay Area entrepreneur wants to make Asian herbs 'fun and enjoyable' for US consumers

06-Feb-2019 By Adi Menayang

Bay Area-based Jake Kim started Supherb to celebrate the medicinal tradition of his home country, and “to make Asian herbs fun and enjoyable” for people who didn’t grow up with them.

Hibiscus tea may help reduce cardiovascular disease risk, new study suggests

06-Feb-2019 By Adi Menayang

A team of British and Nigerian researchers reported immediate effects that suggest a reduction of cardiovascular disease risk after study participants ingested a hibiscus drink.

Editor's Spotlight

Torii Labs co-founder bets on the liquid shot format as the future of herbal supplements

21-Nov-2018 By Adi Menayang

Shots are the future of botanical supplements, says entrepreneur Giles Hayward, whose company Torii Labs was selected by PepsiCo as one of the first members of its new Nutrition Greenhouse incubator.

Can sage give coffee a run for its money? Sibelius thinks so

20-Nov-2018 By Adi Menayang

British company Sibelius Natural Products is marketing a sage extract that has been studied for its cognitive boosting properties.

Gaia Herbs gets certified B Corporation

09-Nov-2018 By Adi Menayang

Herbal supplement specialist Gaia Herbs joins growing number of supplement companies certified as a B Corporation, describing it as a sign of the company’s contribution “to build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.”

Herbal supplement specialist Organic India first in the industry to get certified by Fairtrade America

16-Aug-2018 By Adi Menayang

Herbal supplement specialist Organic India will debut a new fair trade seal on its supplements at the upcoming Expo East. Certifying organization Fairtrade America says it’s the first supplement line to get this certification.

Gaia Herbs expands operations in North Carolina

23-Jul-2018 By Adi Menayang

Category leader Gaia Herbs will invest more than $12 million in infrastructure, equipment, and personnel by 2021 as it expands its operations in North Carolina.

What’s in my product? Supplement brands, suppliers get creative as they vie for consumer trust

18-Jul-2018 By Adi Menayang

From profiling their ingredient suppliers to setting up codes consumers can look up, supplement brands are using transparency to win over consumer trust.

Allowing matter to lapse dooms patent suit filed over feverfew formulation

23-May-2018 By Hank Schultz

The maker of a dietary supplement focused on migraine relief has prevailed in a patent suit based on a legal doctrine relating to how long a case remains quiescent.

Arjuna launches ‘highly potent’ ashwaganda; clinical trials on ingredient ongoing

29-Mar-2018 By Adi Menayang

Indian ingredients company Arjuna launched a new ashwagandha extract product called Shoden for the US market this week.

Special Edition: Botanicals

Industry experts observe increased acceptance of herbal products among US consumers

22-Mar-2018 By Adi Menayang

Experts in the botanical industry say that there’s increased general acceptance, and favorable views, of herbal products among US consumers, reflected by continued sales growth for the category.

Publication outlines rhodiola adulteration and misidentification issues

24-Oct-2017 By Hank Schultz

A new publication on rhodiola outlines the common adulterants or species misidentifications associated with this increasingly popular herb. It’s part of the expanding Botanical Adulterants Program’s list of publications.

Nutrasource teams up with DNA4 Technologies to offer botanical and herbal ID platform

06-Oct-2017 By Stephen Daniells

Canada-based Nutrasource Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Services has formed a strategic alliance with Baltimore-based DNA4 Technologies in order to offer cutting-edge species identification technology for botanical and herbal products.

Regulations, supply chain, and deep science take center stage in Oxford

27-Mar-2017 By Stephen Daniells

NDIs, GMPs, advances in analytical techniques, safety, and future directions for dietary supplements are just some of the stand out topics to be explored at the upcoming 17th Annual Oxford International Conference on the Science of Botanicals.

Today! Join experts from ABC, GNC, Herbalist & Alchemist & Nature’s Way for the NIU Botanicals Forum

29-Sep-2016 By Stephen Daniells

Experts from GNC, Nature’s Way, Herbalist & Alchemist, and the American Botanical Council will discuss the challenges and opportunities in botanicals category in a FREE forum hosted by NutraIngredients-USA.

Special edition: botanicals

GNC/AHPA raw materials program nears final review

22-Sep-2016 By Hank Schultz

The botanical ingredients raw material GMP program started by GNC and managed by the American Herbal Products Association will be ready for final review in October, said an AHPA official.

Special edition: Botanicals

Travel to source may be costly, but important to vet supply chain, expert says

22-Sep-2016 By Adi Menayang

Travel to where you source your ingredients, and make no excuses about the cost and time it takes, one expert said.

Vox Pop: What do consumers know & think about botanical supplements?

21-Sep-2016 By Adi Menayang

There’s a lot of distrust of botanical supplements. And even among those that buy and take them, consumers still ask for more evidence and stricter regulation.

New ‘Botanical Adulterants Bulletins’ series launched to help raise awareness of herb adulteration

12-May-2016 By Stephen Daniells

The ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program has announced the publication of a new series of reviews on adulteration of botanical ingredients called the Botanical Adulterants Bulletins (BABs).

Supplement sales continue to rise: SPINS data

17-Dec-2015 By Stephen Daniells

Sales of dietary supplements and herbal supplements are up about 4% and 17%, respectively, for 2015 compared to 2014, according to new data from SPINS provided to NutraIngredients-USA.

Schneiderman takes 13 devil's claw manufacturers to task over species intermixing that experts say is 'non-issue'

10-Sep-2015 By Hank Schultz

NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has sent cease and desist letters to 13 companies marketing devil’s claw supplements claiming the products fraudulently mixed one species of the botanical with a closely related species. Herbal experts, however, say...

What opportunities are there in the NY AG botanical probe?

16-Mar-2015 By Stephen DANIELLS

The New York Attorney General’s investigation into herbal supplements has been headline news for over a month, but for every problem there is an opportunity. NutraIngredients-USA caught up with some industry giants to see if there is a silver lining in...

NY Office of the Attorney General: ‘We will not be publishing the data for peer review. This is part of an ongoing investigation'

04-Feb-2015 By Stephen Daniells

The Office of the Attorney General of New York has defended its testing and choice of researcher to conduct its tests, but will not be releasing its data for peer-review, NutraIngredients-USA can reveal.