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.

Takeaways from FDA inspections webinar and DEA regulations regarding tableting, encapsulating equipment in the January 2017 AHPA Report!

January 2017 AHPA Report

AHPA submits comments to FDA on revised NDI draft guidance

December 2016: Draft NDI guidance fails to achieve FDA's stated goals and is contrary to intent of the law

In comments submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) expressed concern that the latest revision of draft guidance for New Dietary Ingredients (NDIs) is unlikely to achieve FDA's stated goals and is contrary to the intent of the law in numerous areas.

AHPA submits comments to DEA on potential impacts of scheduling herbal constituents

December 2016: DEA should avoid restricting research on new medical uses, health benefits, or other uses for botanicals

In comments submitted last week to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) urged the agency to refrain from using its authority to effectively remove a plant from the existing marketplace because naturally occurring constituents become scheduled under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

AHPA submits comments to FTC regarding consumer perceptions of "organic" claims

December 2016: Many personal care products and dietary supplements are produced in compliance with USDA's National Organic Progam

AHPA stressed that non-food products, including personal care products, may be agricultural products that can comply with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP).

AHPA submits vinpocetine comments to FDA

November 2016: HHS Secretary has authority to create exceptions to dietary supplement definition

The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) recommends the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) consider initiating rulemaking to declare vinpocetine to be lawful dietary ingredient in comments submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

AHPA reappoints Wynn Werner and P K Dave as co-chairs of the Ayurvedic Products Committee

Ayurvedic Products Committee works to promote responsible commerce of Ayurvedic ingredients and products

The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) has approved the reappointment of Wynn Werner and P K Davè as co-chairs of the AHPA Ayurvedic Products Committee during the AHPA Board of Trustees meeting at SupplySide West in Las Vegas on Oct. 5.

AHPA Presents at Korea-China Joint International Phytonutrient Symposium

AHPA President Michael McGuffin presents overview of regulatory landscape for botanical raw materials

AHPA President Michael McGuffin presented an overview of U.S. regulations for botanical raw materials at the 2016 Korea-China Joint International Phytonutrient Symposium organized jointly by the Korean Society of Food Science and Technology (KoSFoST) and the Chinese Nutrition Society and held on October 27 in Seoul, Korea.

"Incidental DNA fragments" may be misinterpreted using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)

October 19. 2016: A caution to industry and regulators

This article, "A caution to industry and regulators - 'Incidental DNA fragments' may be misinterpreted using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)," is authored by Dr. Steven Newmaster, Professor, Botany & Genetics/Genomics at the University of Guelph, Dr. Subramanyam Ragupathy, Senior Scientist, NHP Molecular Diagnostics at the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, and Dr. Robert Hanner, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at TRU-ID Ltd. These leading DNA experts detai challenges and pitfalls of DNA analysis used to verify the identity of herbal ingredients.

AHPA expresses concern about DEA using emergency scheduling authority to temporarily classify herb as schedule I substance

September 2016: AHPA requests DEA to delay action

The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) sent a letter to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) urging the agency to reconsider using its emergency scheduling authority to temporarily place constituents of the herb kratom into schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

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