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  AHPA updates CITES primer to reflect new listing for Commiphora wightii

  March 26, 2026 The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) has released an updated version of its Primer on Importing and Exporting CITES-Listed Species (“CITES primer”). The update incorporates the new CITES Appendix II listing for Commiphora wightii (synonym: Commiphora mukul; standard common name: guggul), which was officially accepted at the 20th meeting of the CITES Conference of the Parties in December 2025 and is now in effect. The listing for Commiphora wightii includes a specific annotation that covers extracts —such as gums, resins, essential oils, and powder — while exempting certain finished products packaged and ready for retail trade, including tablets, capsules, pills, and cosmetics. “AHPA is dedicated to providing our members with the most current regulatory information to support their compliance efforts,” said Jane Wilson, AHPA Director of Program Development. “Maintaining the CITES primer as a living resource is essential for ensuring that the herbal community is best informed of changes in international trade requirements. This update reflects our ongoing commitment to engaging with CITES and representing members internationally.” CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments designed to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species. AHPA's CITES primer is a members-only resource designed to assist with navigating the complex regulations governing the international trade of protected botanical species. It provides guidance on permit applications, species identification, and the various annotations that impact how ingredients and finished products are regulated. AHPA members can download the updated CITES primer on the AHPA website.

  • Thursday, March 26, 2026
  • | Posted by AHPA
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  AHPA publishes good stewardship harvesting brochure for slippery elm

  March 17, 2026 The latest publication in AHPA's series of good stewardship harvesting brochures The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) has released a new brochure highlighting good stewardship harvesting practices for slippery elm (Ulmus rubra), a native deciduous tree found primarily in the moist bottomlands, stream banks, and rich forest soils of the central and eastern United States that is widely traded for the medicinal properties of its inner bark. Produced as part of AHPA's ongoing educational efforts supporting the herbal community, the brochure is available for free download from the AHPA website. "Slippery elm furnishes one of North America's most important herbal tree barks, and most of this raw material originates from wild harvesting,” said Eric P. Burkhart, Ph.D., Penn State University. “This new AHPA publication provides excellent stewardship and harvest guidance to ‘bark pullers' throughout the wild range of this species in an effort to encourage sustainability and quality in North American elm bark supply chains.” AHPA Project Scientist Holly Chittum led the brochure's development in collaboration with Nate Brennan (Foster Farm Botanicals), Josef Brinkmann (American Botanical Council, Traditional Medicinals, retired), Eric Burkhart, Ph.D. (The Pennsylvania State University), Jim Chamberlain, Ph.D. (U.S. Forest Service, retired), Don Stock (American Botanicals, retired), and Steven Yeager (Mountain Rose Herbs). AHPA has previously published good stewardship harvesting brochures for wild American ginseng, black cohosh, goldenseal, oshá, saw palmetto, Boswellia, and yerba mansa.

  • Tuesday, March 17, 2026
  • | Posted by AHPA
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  2026 AHPA Awards recognize excellence in the herbal community

  March 11, 2026 The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) is pleased to announce the outstanding recipients of the 2026 AHPA Awards, recognizing individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the continued success of the herbal product and dietary supplement industries. The AHPA Awards were presented during the AHPA Annual Member Meeting on March 3 at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, CA. This year's honorees exemplify the dedication, innovation, and leadership that drive the industry forward. Their achievements reflect a commitment to advancing herbal knowledge, sustainability, and industry best practices, strengthening AHPA and the broader community.   2026 AHPA Award Winners Herbal Hero Award: Bill Chioffi Herbal Industry Leadership Award: Oshala Farm Herbal Insight Award: Trish Flaster Herbal Diversity & Inclusion Award: Komal Baldwa Environmental Impact Award: Herbalist & Alchemist Herbal Champion Award: David Bunting Herbal Pioneer Award: Ed Smith Herbal Visionary Award: Drake Sadler Service to Herbal Knowledge Award: Lloyd Library & Museum Kristina Tucker of The Republic of Tea (2025 AHPA Herbal Hero) presented the 2026 AHPA Herbal Hero Award to Bill Chioffi. AHPA Herbal Hero Award: Bill Chioffi The AHPA Herbal Hero Award recognizes an individual who makes an outstanding contribution to AHPA committees or initiatives. Bill Chioffi has been a steadfast advocate for scientific integrity and botanical excellence at AHPA and in the wider industry. Currently serving as Chief Operating Officer at Nammex, Bill's leadership has been instrumental in shaping functional fungi and herbal categories. "Receiving the 2026 AHPA Herbal Hero Award is a humbling honor, particularly coming from a community that has served as my professional North Star for over thirty years. This recognition belongs equally to the AHPA staff, the mentors who guided my early career and the dedicated team at Nammex, who tirelessly champion scientific integrity alongside me. While I am proud of the progress we have made together within the functional fungi and herbal categories, I remain inspired by our shared responsibility to the tilth of the earth and farmers entrusted with its cultivation. I am deeply grateful to AHPA for this recognition and feel privileged to continue our collective work in ensuring that botanical medicine remains a trusted, high-quality, and responsible resource for generations to come." — Bill Chioffi Cameron Stearns of Mountain Rose Herbs presented the 2026 AHPA Herbal Industry Leadership Award to Jeff & Elise Higley of Oshala Farm. AHPA Herbal Industry Leadership Award: Oshala Farm The AHPA Herbal Industry Leadership Award recognizes a company that sets an example of outstanding business practices or an organization that works to move the industry forward above and beyond normal business practices. Located in Southern Oregon, Oshala Farm has become a model for regenerative organic farming and stewardship. By providing high-quality, sustainably grown herbs, they have set a benchmark for integrity in the supply chain. "Receiving the AHPA Herbal Industry Leadership Award is a profound honor for us at Oshala Farm. Our work has been deeply shaped by the people and companies within the AHPA community who have shown what integrity, stewardship, and leadership can look like in practice. We believe the herbal products industry is only as strong as the ingredients it is built on, and that responsibility begins with regenerative organic care for the land, the plants, and the people who steward them. To be recognized alongside so many of our mentors is deeply humbling, and we are grateful to AHPA and our community for the trust and responsibility to carry this work forward." — Elise & Jeff Higley, Owners of Oshala Farm Blake Ebersole of NaturPro Scientific presented the 2026 AHPA Herbal Insight Award to Trish Flaster. AHPA Herbal Insight Award: Trish Flaster The AHPA Herbal Insight Award recognizes individuals or non-commercial organizations that have a significant impact on furthering knowledge and understanding of botanicals and their uses. Trish Flaster has dedicated her career to developing botanical guidelines and policies that ensure accurate plant identification and preserve traditional ecological knowledge. "What an honor. Thank you and those who supported this endorsement and recognize what a few dedicated people with vision can do. The policies I have created with colleagues have a valuable legacy. They are classical botanical guidelines that keep the accurate identification of plants in products to assure healing. Other policies protect cultural and biological sustainability, ensuring the continued transfer of traditional ecological knowledge to protect both plant populations and the cultures that rely on them." — Trish Flaster Graham Rigby of AHPA presented the 2026 AHPA Herbal Diversity & Inclusion Award to Komal Baldwa. AHPA Herbal Diversity & Inclusion Award: Komal Baldwa The AHPA Herbal Diversity & Inclusion Award recognizes excellence in commitment to the values of diversity, inclusion and equality benefitting both the herbal products industry and broader society. As the founder of Waleria HealthTech, Komal Baldwa is recognized for her commitment to centering women throughout the herbal value chain, from science-backed formulations for women's health to supporting women-owned farms. "I am honored to receive this recognition. At Waleria, our mission is to bring women into every aspect of the value chain; grounding our work in rigorous science around women's hormonal stages, guided by data and community insight, and building a supply chain where women-owned farms drive microentrepreneurship and impact. This prestigious award reaffirms: aspurus Shatavari, centering women from field to the ingredient, is purpose-built to create lasting change in women's health." — Komal Baldwa Graham Rigby of AHPA presented the 2026 AHPA Environmental Impact Award to Beth Lambert & David Winston of Herbalist & Alchemist. AHPA Environmental Impact Award: Herbalist & Alchemist The AHPA Environmental Impact Award recognizes an individual, organization, or company that has implemented innovative sustainable or regenerative business practices that will continue to have a meaningful positive impact on the environment. A certified B Corp since 2010, Herbalist & Alchemist is recognized for its commitment to business practices that benefit both people and the planet, rooted in the principles of permaculture. "We are deeply honored by this recognition. David and I came together as business partners because we have a commitment to business that is good for people and good for the earth, rooted in the principals of Permaculture and Herbal Medicine. The people that work with us have this same philosophy. This award belongs to our entire staff especially our Green Team, with a member from every department. Their enthusiasm and excellent ideas with measurable impact lead us to incorporate new practices, re-examine how we work and meet Zero Waste standards all within the framework of maintaining our profitability. As a certified B Corporation since 2010, sustainable sourcing, supporting education and local business are part of our culture." — Beth Lambert (CEO) & David Winston (Founder/President), Co-owners of Herbalist & Alchemist Alexis Durham of AHPA presented the 2026 AHPA Herbal Champion Award to David Bunting, and Sarah Hasler of Herb Pharm accepted on David's behalf. AHPA Herbal Champion Award: David Bunting The AHPA Herbal Champion Award recognizes an individual whose unwavering passion and longstanding commitment to herbs and herbal products have inspired the industry and fostered a deeper appreciation for the role of plants in health and wellness. David Bunting is honored for his botanical expertise and his extensive contributions to AHPA and the wider herbal products industry throughout his distinguished career. "I am truly honored to be recognized by my AHPA colleagues for this generous award. I hope that my participation has contributed to AHPA's success over these formative years for the herbal products industry. As always, AHPA's staff also deserves recognition along with its members for helping to make AHPA the effective organization it is today." — David Bunting Mark Blumenthal of ABC presented the 2026 AHPA Herbal Pioneer Award to Ed Smith, who accepted via video. AHPA Herbal Pioneer Award: Ed Smith The AHPA Herbal Pioneer Award honors an individual who has demonstrated lifelong dedication to the herbal community and played a transformative role in the development of the modern botanical industry. Known affectionately as "Herbal Ed," Ed Smith is a seminal figure in modern herbalism. Having co-founded Herb Pharm with Sarah Katz, he has dedicated his life to bridging the gap between plants and people. He is recognized not only for his technical mastery of botanical extraction but for his enduring role as a passionate spokesperson for the healing power of nature and the protection of herbal traditions. "I've always felt that I was just a spokesperson for the plants, and so this award is really an acknowledgment of the plants and their healing power, and the wisdom that they've shared with us over the millennia. I am deeply honored to be recognized by the AHPA, an organization that has done so much to protect our right to use these botanical treasures. To be standing here among so many of my peers who have dedicated their lives to this work is truly the greatest gift of all." — Ed Smith in his acceptance video Ed Fletcher of Native Botanicals presented the 2026 AHPA Herbal Visionary Award to Drake Sadler, and Taryn Forrelli of Traditional Medicinals accepted on Drake's behalf. AHPA Herbal Visionary Award: Drake Sadler The AHPA Herbal Visionary Award recognizes individuals whose purposeful intentions and longterm leadership have established new standards for values-aligned and sustainable herbal business practices. An industry trailblazer whose influence spans over four decades, Drake Sadler co-founded Traditional Medicinals alongside Rosemary Gladstar with a radical vision for ethical commerce. He is honored for his pioneering commitment to social and environmental responsibility, proving that a global botanical business can be successfully built on a foundation of purposeful intention, sustainability, and unwavering values. "I want to begin by thanking all of you for honoring Traditional Medicinals with this visionary award. We could have never imagined what this organization or the industry would become 40 years later…Vision is the result of our purposeful intentions and our hard work when the mission is accomplished and our values align…Please never forget that this work that we do with plants is sacred." — Drake Sadler in his acceptance video David Winston of Herbalist & Alchemist presented the 2026 AHPA Service to Herbal Knowledge Award to Noah O'Brien (Board President) of the Lloyd Library & Museum. AHPA Service to Herbal Knowledge Award: Lloyd Library & Museum The AHPA Service to Herbal Knowledge Award recognizes individuals or organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of botanical education and the preservation of herbal information for the industry and the public. For over 150 years, the Lloyd Library & Museum has been a preeminent global destination for the preservation of botanical, medical, and pharmaceutical history. The institution is recognized for providing essential access to one of the world's most significant collections of herbal literature, bridging the 19th-century Eclectic medical movement with the pioneering research of today's botanical community. "The Lloyd Library & Museum is deeply honored to receive the AHPA Service to Herbal Knowledge Award. This recognition reflects the Lloyd Library & Museum's dedication to gathering, preserving and making accessible herbal knowledge for over 150 years. From the Eclectic medical movement emerging in the 19th century to the herbalists and botanists of today, The Lloyd has supported herbal exploration by scholars from around the world. We gratefully acknowledge the dedication of our staff, collaborators, and predecessors whose collective efforts have sustained this work across generations. We thank AHPA for this meaningful recognition and for championing the vital roles that history, research, and collaboration play in the future of herbal and natural products industries." — Patricia M. Van Skaik, Executive Director of the Lloyd Library & Museum

  • Wednesday, March 11, 2026
  • | Posted by AHPA
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  AHPA welcomes new and re-elected trustees for 2026

  March 11, 2026 Last week, the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) conducted the annual election for the AHPA Board of Trustees at the association's member meeting on March 3 at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, CA. AHPA is pleased to welcome the following industry leaders, representing the wide range of herbal and dietary supplement industry segments supported by AHPA, who were each elected to serve 3-year terms on the AHPA Board of Trustees: Newly Elected Trustees Julie Daoust (M2 Ingredients) Jeff Kaufman (Paragon Labs) Zoe Kissam (Traditional Medicinals) Ajay Patel (Verdure Sciences) Katharine Wickenden (Whole Foods Market)   Re-elected Trustees Cassandra Black (Banyan Botanicals) David Bunting (Herb Pharm) Bill Chioffi (Nammex) Edward Fletcher (Native Botanicals) Elise Higley (Oshala Farm) Catherine Hunziker (WishGarden Herbs) Laura Najera (Metagenics) Elan Sudberg (Alkemist Labs) Matt Warnock (RidgeCrest Herbals) In addition to the elected trustees, Jason Scott (Feral Fungi) will serve a 1-year term as an assigned trustee. Following the election, the board convened to elect officers and executive committee members for the coming year: Board Officers Chair: Laura Najera (Metagenics) Vice Chair: Katie Banaszewski (NOW Foods) Secretary: Steven Yeager (Mountain Rose Herbs) Treasurer: Mitch Coven (Vitality Works)    Executive Committee Staci Eisner (Cortex Scientific Botanicals) Nils Mueggenburg (Mueggenburg USA) Kristina Tucker (The Republic of Tea) Trustees bring invaluable experience and expertise to the association, dedicating their time and leadership to support AHPA's mission and help drive the continued growth and success of the dietary supplement and natural product industries.

  • Wednesday, March 11, 2026
  • | Posted by AHPA