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Conference Highlights

On April 7, 2023, with the Herbal Alliance, Ann Armbrecht, Sustainable Herbs Program Director, co-hosted a half-day conference, Why Using Sustainable Herbs Matters. Sebastian Pole, founder of Pukka Herbs and trustee of the Herbal Alliance, and Ann Armbrecht organized this event to bring together experts in sourcing and quality to discuss how ethical sourcing is important. Not only because it is the right thing to do for the people, plants and planet, but  responsible sourcing is critical because it helps ensure that:

  1. the herbs in the bottle are what the label claims they are;
  2. those herbs are of the right quality with the right balance of constituents shown to have the effects that the product is said to have; and
  3. that other ingredients, dyes, chemicals, etc. are not in the bottle.

As the speakers in made clear, the most effective and cost-effective path is to address these issues at the source, especially by investing in the relationships needed to ensure that people will take care at each step of a plant’s journey from seed to finished product.

Below are video highlights of each talk. To watch the complete recording, go here and for written highlights, go here.

The World We Live In: Global Supply Situation of Herbs

 

 

  • Cultural and ecological diversity; Sustainability & Wild Harvesting — Josef Brinckmann, Traditional Medicinals
  • Herbal sustainability, wild harvesting, and climate change — Anastasiya Timoshyna, TRAFFIC
  • Are all herbs equal? Research on the relationship of quality to sustainable value chains — Anthony (Tony) Booker, University of Westminster
  • Are all herbs equal? Quality and sourcing — Alison Czeczuga, Gaia Herbs
  • How ‘Fair’ is the herbal supply chain — Erin Smith, Banyan Botanicals
  • The link between quality and efficacy — Roy Upton, American Herbal Pharmacopoeia
  • Quality, Sustainable Sourcing, and Clinical Practice — David Winston, Founder,  Herbalist & Alchemist
  • What Can Practitioners Do? Part 1: Sustainable Herbs Program initiatives — Ann Armbrecht, SHP Director
  • What Can Practitioners Do? Part 2: Herbal Alliance –Vicky Murray

 

 

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