What do you know about ABC?

The ABC Story

The seed for the vision of the American Botanical Council (ABC) germinated back in the 1970s when ABC Founder and Executive Director, Mark Blumernthal, was selling bulk herbs and herbal products via his business, Sweethardt Herbs. Mark realized that his customers had little knowledge regarding the herbal medicine options that exist around the world, and this pushed him in the direction of education.

In 1977 when he was a founding member and one-time president of the Herb Trade Association, Mark began publishing Herb News, an industry newsletter that evolved six years later into HerbalGram. The first 17 issues of HerbalGram were black and white, and the first few issues were only 8-12 pages, but as the public demand for more herbal education resources grew, so did the publication. Former HerbalGram Managing Editor, Barbara Johnston, began working with Blumenthal in 1983 on the second issue of HerbalGram using an early Macintosh computer and a Daisy Wheel printer. She believes the growth of the herbal medicine movement has directly been encouraged and sustained through the exhaustive efforts and energy level of Blumenthal. “Mark has always had a passion and determination for compiling reliable, scientific herbal data that could be reviewed on a professional level.”

As the herbal industry grew in the US and began facing growing opposition from federal regulatory agencies, Mark saw a need to provide reliable, scientifically sound information about medicinal herbs not only to professionals in healthcare industries, but also to an increasingly confused public. On November 1, 1988 the American Botanical Council was incorporated as a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit educational and research organization. Much of the attention and activity generated in the early days of ABC was demand for Mark as a speaker or as an editor and writer of herbal research articles.

In the summer of 1993, ABC received funding for a first of its kind project that would involve the testing of hundreds of Ginseng products, the Ginseng Evaluation Program. In 1994, ABC developed the HerbClip™ Educational Mailing Service which currently involves sending selected articles with summaries and critical reviews written by ABC writers every two weeks to industry leaders, research scientists, and healthcare professionals.

In 1998, ABC implemented yet another educational resource, internship program that brings dietitian and pharmacy students to ABC for one- through six-week rotations. As part of its educational mission, ABC started early on in its history to promote hard-to-find, scientific publications through ads in HerbalGram. The Herbal Education Catalog continues to be one of the best sources of a variety of well-referenced and well-researched herbal publications.

Summer of 1998 saw the completion of one of ABC’s most important projects, the publication of the English translation of The Complete German Commission E Monographs—Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. The late Distinguished Professor of Pharmacognosy Emeritus Varro Tyler called the Commission E monographs “the most accurate information available in the entire world on the safety and efficacy of herbs and phytomedicines.” Herbal Medicine: Expanded Commission E Monographs, the expanded and updated version of the core Commission E material, intended to enhance the value and convenience of the monographs for quick referral and everyday use was published in 2000.

As part of its mission to educate healthcare professionals about herbal medicine, ABC leads ethnobotanical tours that provide attendees with the opportunity to earn continuing education credits in various locations around the world. ABC has also produced four continuing education modules for healthcare professionals. 2003 will see the publication of ABC’s fifth continuing education module, The ABC Clinical Guide to Herbs.

For most of its first 10 years, ABC operated out of Mark’s home. Bedrooms became offices for the various departments, shipping was done out of the garage, staff meetings took place around the kitchen table until staff grew so large it took over the living room for its meetings, and an elaborate filing system developed on the pool table. As the size and scope of ABC grew, the search began for a new, permanent home for the organization. In July of 1998, ABC moved to its new home, the Case Mill Homestead.

Thank you for reading our story. It’s not over yet, so we hope you will visit again soon. If you like what you’ve learned so far, we hope you will consider supporting ABC in its educational mission by becoming a member today.

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