The American Botanical Council (ABC) will present its 16^th Annual Celebration and Botanical Excellence Awards with a one-hour online program that will livestream on ABC’s Facebook page and YouTube channel on Tuesday, May 25, at 5 p.m. EDT.
 
The event is freely accessible and open to consumers, the industry, academia, research, media, and government, along with anyone else who does business in or simply is interested in botanicals and herbal medicine. For more information and to RSVP, visit the ABC website.
 
This year’s event, held online for the first time, will celebrate accomplishments of the 33-year-old nonprofit research and education organization, and honor the recipients of six awards for their accomplishments in 2020. ABC expects this year’s celebration to be one of the year’s biggest gatherings of researchers, academics, natural healthcare professionals, herb industry members – anyone with an interest in and love of herbal products which support health and wellness.
 
ABC’s Botanical Excellence Awards were first given in 2006, and recipients are chosen based on their contributions to the herbal and botanical community during the previous year.
 
“ABC has always been a science organization, and most of our awards reflect ABC’s scientific research orientation,” ABC founder and executive director Mark Blumenthal said. “Despite the fact that we can only choose a few people for our awards each year, ABC’s awards process intends to honor all those engaged with scientific and clinical research on herbs, medicinal plants, phytomedicines, essential oils, medicinal fungi, and related natural ingredients with therapeutic benefits.”
 
“It is an encouraging sign that our list of award contenders grows longer every year, which means that an increasing number of people and organizations are making substantial contributions of time, energy, and resources to further our knowledge of the efficacy and safety of medicinal plants,” Stefan Gafner, PhD, ABC’s Chief Science Officer, said. “I look forward to honoring this year’s awardees at the celebration.”
 
The Awards
 
The six awards to be granted on May 25 to organizations and individuals will recognize various achievements:
 
– The ABC James A. Duke Excellence in Botanical Literature Award will recognize books that contribute significantly to the medicinal plant-related literature, and the fields of botany, taxonomy, ethnobotany, pharmacognosy, phytomedicine, mycology, and other related fields.
 
– The ABC Norman R. Farnsworth Excellence in Botanical Research Award will recognize significant research contributions in the fields of pharmacognosy, ethnobotany, ethnopharmacology, or other scientific disciplines related to medicinal plants.
 
– The ABC Varro E. Tyler Commercial Investment in Phytomedicinal Research Award will recognize a botanical ingredient, dietary supplement, and/or phytomedicinal products company that makes a strong investment in human clinical research to support the authenticity, safety, and efficacy of its ingredients or products.
 
– The ABC Fredi Kronenberg Excellence in Research and Education in Botanicals for Women’s Health Award will be presented to a researcher, educator, and/or clinician who furthers the scientific study and clinical use of medicinal plants and phytomedicines for women’s health conditions.
 
– The ABC Champion Award recognizes individuals who have been outstanding supports of ABC and have helped the organization promote and achieve its nonprofit research and educational mission, whether through monetary support or contributions of their own time.
 
– The ABC Mark Blumenthal Herbal Community Builder Award recognizes individuals who have played a significant role in creating a sense of community among herbalists, botanical researchers, members of the herb and natural products communities and industries, and others who work in the various areas of medicinal and aromatic plants.
 
For the past 15 years, the awards were presented at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, CA, but, due to the pandemic, the Expo was moved to a virtual platform in May 2020. By moving the celebration and awards online this year, ABC is able to share the acknowledgements and festivities with thousands of its members and registered users of the ABC website, as well as medicinal plant advocates around the world.