The American Botanical Council (ABC) presented six awards during its 16^th annual Celebration and Botanical Excellence Awards Ceremony on May 25, which was held virtually for the first time, and made available via livestream and on demand on ABC’s YouTube channel and website.
 
This year’s event celebrated the accomplishments of ABC in its 33^rd year, and honored the recipients of six Botanical Excellence Awards, which were initiated in 2006. Recipients were chosen based on their outstanding contributions to the herbal and botanical communities.
 
“As a science-based research and education organization, ABC attempts to keep current with the explosive amount of human clinical research that is published in the scientific literature each year,” Mark Blumenthal, ABC’s founder and executive director, said. “ABC’s Botanical Excellence Awards are granted to individuals and commercial businesses that are committed to excellence in exploring and expanding the scientific research on herbs, medicinal plants, phytomedicines, medicinal fungi, and other natural products with therapeutic value.”
 
“There are many companies and individuals that contribute to the blossoming of the botanical ingredient and dietary supplement industry by performing impressive research, educating the public with noteworthy books, or by bringing the community closer together,” Stefan Gafner, PhD, ABC’s chief science officer, said. “It is one of the greatest privileges at ABC to honor a few of those individuals and organizations every year.”
 
James A. Duke Excellence in Botanical Literature Award
The ABC James A. Duke Excellence in Botanical Literature Award, intended for authors whose books contribute significantly to the medicinal plant-related literature, was awarded to Christopher Hobbs, PhD, director of the Institute for Natural Products Research, for his book, Christopher Hobbs’s Medicinal Mushrooms: The Essential Guide: Boost Immunity, Improve Memory, Fight Cancer, Stop Infection, and Expand Your Consciousness (Storey Publishing, 2020).
 
Hobbs is a fourth-generation, internationally-renowned clinical herbalist, licensed acupuncturist, mycologist, research scientist, legal consultant, and consultant to the natural products industry. He holds a PhD in phylogenetics, evolutionary biology, and phytochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, and is a founding member of the American Herbalists Guild.
 
“Hobbs’ work was chosen for its consumer-friendly approach to the field of mycology, with scientific and clinical research presented in a creative and informative way and featuring beautiful photography throughout” Hannah Bauman, assistant editor for ABC’s peer-reviewed journal HerbalGram, said. “In Medicinal Mushrooms, he strives to answer the question of how fungi affect and promote human health and studies the ancient interaction between fungi and humans. Like Jim Duke, Christopher Hobbs blends a love of plants with an inquisitive nature and supports tradition with science in a clear, concise, and compassionate way. He has succeeded in creating an accessible book for readers at every level of interest.”
 
“I wanted to make this book a practical guide featuring medicine making, growing, choosing commercial products, and the importance of quality, combining the folklore and traditional uses with a thorough review of the scientific literature and especially all clinical trials available for each species. I hope it can inspire a love of mushrooms and a preservation of their habitats, especially the old growth forests and trees of which they are an integral part.”
 
Norman R. Farnsworth Excellence in Botanical Research Award
The ABC Norman R. Farnsworth Excellence in Botanical Research Award, given for significant research contributions in scientific disciplines related to medicinal plants, and this year’s recipient was Paula N. Brown, PhD, director of the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s (BCIT) Natural Health and Food Products Research Group. This group has been actively supporting the natural health products industry for more than a decade through applied research activities, including product development, establishment of quality standards, analytical methods, and regulatory compliance. Brown also sits on numerous boards and working groups, including the ABC Advisory Board.
 
“Paula has published validated analytical methods for a number of dietary supplement ingredients, including ginseng, echinacea, and many others, and has more publications of supplement ingredient methods in AOAC International’s Official Methods of Analysis than any other author that I know,” Joseph Betz, PhD, acting director of the Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institutes of Health, said.
 
“I want to acknowledge a few colleagues, including Susan Murch, who told me if I want to study plants, I better get out my rainboots and get out there. Mary Hardy, last year’s ABC Fredi Kronenberg Award winner, reminds me, as I go down my rabbit hole of chemistry, that this is about health. It’s about educating and facilitating the responsible use of botanical medicines for improved health and wellness,” Brown said. “Everything that I have achieved here at BCIT has been with the support and hard work and dedication of my group, many of whom have been with me for close to two decades. I thank them because they are part of this award, as well.”
 
Varro E. Tyler Commercial Investment in Phytomedicinal Research Award
The ABC Varro E. Tyler Commercial Investment in Phytomedicinal Research Award is awarded to a botanical ingredient, dietary supplement, or phytomedicinal products company that makes a strong investment in human clinical research to support its products – the award this year was presented to the Swedish Herbal Institute and its founder and chairman Georg Wikman.
 
Wikman founded SHI in 1975 to develop pharmaceutical-quality botanical products, and has worked in collaboration with a number of prestigious universities, as well as the Russian space program and SHI’s phytomedicines that were used on the MIR space station.
 
“ABC chose SHI for the company’s exceptional commitment to the scientific and clinical research on the therapeutic effects of several botanical ingredients — most notably andographis and rhodiola. The company has initiated and supported over 30 clinical studies since 1995. SHI’s clinical work has significantly added to the foundation for the evidence-based medicinal use of both andographis and rhodiola, leading to effective phytotherapeutic agents in the areas of upper respiratory infections, stress-related fatigue, and mild forms of depression,” Gafner said.
 
“I want to thank ABC and Mark Blumenthal, a friend of mine for more than 40 years, for recognizing the Swedish Herbal Institute’s pioneering clinical research on adaptogens. SHI has focused on two issues: the mode of action and synergy between adaptogens. The main research has been on rhodiola, schizandra, Eleutherococcus, andrographis, and lately, also on Leuzea carthamoides,” Wikman said. “We appreciate ABC’s recognition of our early research on rhodiola. ABC’s acknowledgement of SHI’s research on the fixed combination KanJang, based on eleutheroccus and the adaptogen andrographis, has demonstrated a significant effect on upper respiratory-tract infections. Our current focus is on the application of adaptogens in COVID-19-related issues. We are also grateful for ABC’s many years of reporting our research to the [global medicinal plant] research community. This has been done via numerous summaries in ABC’s HerbClip series.”
 
Fredi Kronenberg Excellence in Research and Education in Botanicals for Women’s Health Award
The Fredi Kronenberg Excellence in Research and Education in Botanicals for Women’s Health Award is presented to a researcher, educator, and/or clinician who furthers the use of medicinal plants for women’s health conditions. This year’s recipient was Tori Hudson, ND, medical director of A Woman’s Time natural health care clinic, program director of the institute of Women’s Health & Integrative Medicine, and an adjunct clinical professor at Bastyr University, National College of Naturopathic Medicine, and Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences.
 
“Dr. Tori Hudson is a uniquely appropriate honoree,” Hardy said. “Dr. Hudson has devoted her 35-plus years as a naturopath to women’s health as a researcher, clinician, and educator. She has had a leading role in educating naturopaths about primary and specialty natural care of women […] She has won a number of prestigious awards during her career […] and has published broadly both in the lay and professional press on all aspects of women’s care.”
 
“I first met Fredi Kronenberg in the earliest days of the development of the Office of Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health, which then became and is currently called the National Center for Complimentary and Integrative Health,” Hudson said. “At these meetings, Fredi was incredibly kind, inclusive, and collaborative towards me and others, and she was innovative, intellectually impressive, and consistently productive in her research and academic activities, especially with regard to botanicals, integrative medicine, and women’s health – three pillars of my clinical and professional career, as well.”
 
ABC Champion Award
The ABC Champion Award recognizes individuals who have been outstanding supporters of ABC and who have helped the organization promote and achieve its nonprofit research and educational mission, through monetary support or contributions of their own time.
 
This year’s recipient was Jerry Cott, PhD, a now-retired senior pharmacologist for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
 
“As a neuropsychopharmacologist, Jerry has researched the use of dietary supplements for psychiatric indication as well as the integration of mainstream psychiatry with nutritional and botanical intervention. ABC is recognizing Jerry for providing long-term academic and professional expertise as a peer reviewer of a wide range of publications that deal with psychopharmacology. Jerry has been the primary peer reviewer of many articles for ABC’s flagship publication, HerbalGram, as well as a myriad of summaries of clinical trials and review articles. Jerry has also reviewed other publications for ABC, including chapters for The ABC Clinical Guide to Herbs.”
 
“Before I met Mark [Blumenthal} I was a simple nueropsychophamracologist at the NIMH [National Institute of Mental Health] in the early ‘90s. I’d started a natural products research program to try and interest the drug people into searching for kinder, gentler treatments for mental health disorders,” Cott said. “I’d never actually met any herbalists. That changed at an American Herbalists Guild meeting in West Virginia in 1994 […] That same year, I met the famous ethnobotanist James Duke at an NIMH meeting that I had invited him to, and Jim, along with Mark, had quite an impact on my life […] I want to thank the warm community at ABC for accepting a non-herbalist into their confidence. It is a great honor to be with you and to accept this award today.”
 
Mark Blumenthal Community Builder Award
The ABC Mark Blumenthal Herbal Community Builder Award honors individuals who have played a significant role in creating a sense of community among those in the herbs and botanicals industry who work in various areas of medicinal and aromatic plants. The award was presented this year to Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA).
 
As president of AHPA since 1999, McGuffin has been active in the herbal industry since 1974, having owned both retail and manufacturing businesses in this field. He represented the herbal industry at state and federal hearings on regulatory issues, serves as a member on the advisory board of a number of organizations, and  has been published extensively in scholarly and scientific journals.
 
“Michael is a master of important details on a wide spectrum of significant issues necessary for the success of small, medium-sized, and large herb businesses,” Blumenthal, in presenting the eponymous award to McGuffin, said. “Without his strong and seemingly tireless energy and leadership, it is questionable that the herb industry in the United States would be as successful, and as large, as it is today.”
 
“I must share credit with the remarkable and talented AHPA staff,” McGuffin said. “Each of them is actively engaged in building community, not only within the AHPA membership but more broadly among practicing herbalists, botanical researchers, and all those involved in the herb and natural products industry. The AHPA board of trustees also deserves to share this award. The board has strongly advocated for collaboration and cooperation with the other organizations that represent the herbal products industry. This not only helps us get our work down, but it’s clearly an opportunity to build community.”