American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) > News

Our Mission

The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) is the national trade association and voice of the herbal products industry. Founded in 1982, AHPA's mission is to promote the responsible and sustainable commerce of herbal products to ensure that consumers have informed access to a wide variety of safe herbal goods. AHPA’s Vision is for high quality herbal products to be readily accessible to and broadly used by consumers.

Our Expertise

AHPA has particular expertise on the history, science, and regulation of botanicals while its work also has significant influence on non-herbal dietary supplements. Similarly, AHPA expends its resources on issues in the U.S. marketplace and in the international arena, wherever member interests are served.

Our Members

AHPA is comprised of more than 350 domestic and international companies conducting business as growers, processors, manufacturers, and marketers of herbs and herbal products. AHPA members’ herbal products are in tea, beverage, dietary supplement, sports nutrition, personal care, pet and other product categories. AHPA membership also includes individuals, companies and organizations who serve the industry, including consultants, attorneys, media, researchers, educators, and medical professionals.

Rupa Das to serve as Interim Chair of AHPA's Board of Trustees

AHPA thanks Graham Rigby for his leadership

The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) has appointed Rupa Das as Chair of the AHPA Board of Trustees until March 2019.

AHPA launches sustainability subcommittee, formalizing ongoing efforts

Subcommittee to further AHPA’s ongoing efforts to ensure sustainable supplies of valuable botanicals

AHPA's Botanical Raw Materials Committee has launched a Sustainability Subcommittee to further AHPA’s ongoing efforts to ensure sustainable supplies of valuable botanicals. The subcommittee will be a vehicle for increasing awareness of sustainability issues and best practices, provide a forum to discuss and develop industry-wide standards, and promote existing sustainability initiatives throughout the industry.

Arizona Board of Pharmacy reportedly considers most dietary supplements to be nonprescription drugs

Board is pushing supplement companies that sell in the state to register as "wholesaler of nonprescription drugs"

The Arizona State Board of Pharmacy recently began interpreting its authority in a manner that implies that virtually every company that manufacturers or sells dietary supplements in the state will need to register as a nonprescription drug facility. If the board is successful and persistent in this approach, it could significantly disrupt dietary supplement business in the state.

Industry stakeholder input needed on medicinal and aromatic plants

Responses due this Friday, October 12

AHPA requests pullulan be allowed in dietary supplement products labeled as organic

October 2018: AHPA supports petition submitted by the Organic Trade Association (OTA) to request that pullulan be added to the National List

The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) submitted comments yesterday to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) to request that pullulan continue to be allowed to be used in encapsulated herbs marketed as “made with organic [specified ingredients or food group(s)]” under the National Organic Program (NOP).

FWS issues general advice for 2018 wild and wild-simulated American ginseng harvest

Legal harvest of wild ginseng roots will not be detrimental to the survival of the species

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issued general advice on Sept. 26 for wild and wild-simulated American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) for the 2018 harvest season in 19 states and the Menominee Indian Tribe in Wisconsin.

NCCIH on complementary approaches to chronic pain

Growing body of evidence suggests complementary approaches may help manage some painful conditions

A growing body of evidence suggests that some complementary approaches may help to manage some painful conditions, according to an overview recently published by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH).

Saw palmetto berry 2018 mid-season harvest report

Excess rain limits supply and drives up prices

The harvest season began in early August in Florida and the total berry harvest for the season will not be known until the first week of October, but buyers in the market say they are already revising their expectations for the 2018 harvest volume.

AHPA President attends London seminar on herbal product quality

McGuffin emphasizes the individual company’s role in ensuring quality

AHPA President Michael McGuffin presented at a seminar sponsored jointly today in London, England by Health Food Manufacturers’ Association (HFMA) and British Herbal Medicine Association (BHMA), titled Maintaining High Quality Standards in Herbal Products.

FairWild, TRAFFIC and AHPA focus on sustainability in Cambridge meeting

AHPA members are invested in and committed to programs and practices to ensure herbal supplies are obtained sustainably

American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) President Michael McGuffin met Monday with the senior staff of TRAFFIC and the FairWild Foundation at the organizations' main office in Cambridge, England. The meeting was arranged to exchange ideas on how best to collaborate to encourage and support sustainable industry practices in procurement of wild plant species used in the U.S. herbal products industry.

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