From left: Teresa Boardwine (Green Comfort School of Herbal Medicine), Anna Lucio (Kentucky Department of Agriculture), Susan Leopold (United Plant Savers & AHPA-ERB Foundation)
The American Herbal Products Association Foundation for Education and Research on Botanicals (AHPA-ERB Foundation) is pleased to have provided funds in support of American ginseng programming at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival that concluded on July 4 in Washington, D.C.
Established in 1967, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival honors contemporary living cultural traditions and celebrates those who practice and sustain them. Produced annually by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, the festival has featured participants from all 50 states and more than 100 countries.
Thanks to funding provided by the AHPA-ERB Foundation and private donors, the festival was able to host a delegation of American ginseng researchers, conservators and practitioners to educate festival-goers about the history, use and conservation of American ginseng. Participants included Susan Leopold, AHPA-ERB Foundation Board Member and Executive Director of United Plant Savers, who attended the festival to discuss ginseng and forests and give lessons on how to make teas, tinctures and syrups.
“The AHPA ERB-Foundation congratulates the Smithsonian on another successful Folklife Festival,” said Beth Lambert, AHPA-ERB Foundation Chair and CEO of Herbalist & Alchemist. “Their ongoing dedication to creating space and providing a platform for cultural practitioners speak for themselves, with each other, and to the public is more important than ever. We are pleased to have supported their attention to American ginseng at this year’s festival as part of the AHPA ERB-Foundation’s mission to promote education and research on medicinal, therapeutic, and health-promoting herbs.”