Over the last few days, the potential use of oleandrin for treatment of COVID-19 has received significant media attention. The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) strongly discourages sales or marketing of dietary supplements that contain any part of the oleander plant (Nerium oleander) or its constituent, oleandrin. AHPA also urges physical and online retailers to refrain from offering any such products for sale, and AHPA cautions consumers to avoid oral consumption of oleander or oleandrin.

The August 2020 AHPA Report includes: FDA announces resumption of domestic inspections; Daily consumption of certain cranberry products reduces risk of recurrent UTIs; Final guidance on BE labeling; Virtual Hemp-CBD Supplement Congress on Aug. 27; and more.

This issue of the IADSA Newsflash covers Australia TGA reclassifies certain sports supplements to be regulated as medicines, South Africa down scheduled CBD to a category of complementary medicine, Korea has updated its functional food code to include ginseng as helpful to bone health and the European Commission (EC) acknowledges the potential to consider traditional use of botanicals in the efficacy assessment of health claims when traditional medicine products exist for botanicals used in foods.

Webinar presenters will address different approaches to sustainability self-assessment, discuss various sustainability standards, and how to create realistic science based targets, and present examples that will help companies of all sizes plan and execute meaningful self-assessments.

AHPA continues to expand and update the online Botanical Safety Handbook 2nd ed. to provide the herbal industry with comprehensive safety information on over 500 species of herbs from clinical trials, pharmacological and toxicological studies, medical case reports, and historical texts.

In comments submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), AHPA requests the agency to amend Phase VI of its import declarations enforcement schedule by removing “other” essential oils from the list of products covered under this phase.

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our dear colleague and friend Tony Hayes. Tony was a producer and marketer of North American wildcrafted herbs for almost 50 years. He began his career in 1973 as an herb buyer for Lowe Fur and Herb of North Wilkesboro, then in 1981 went to work for Wilcox Drug Company in Boone, North Carolina. In 2000 he and his wife Sandy started their own business, Ridge Runner Trading Company.

The July  2020 AHPA Report includes AHPA goes virtual, postal service funding request, sustainability webinar on July 22, updated CA Prop 65 guidance, revised CITES primer, FTC proposed rule for 'Made in the USA,' and more.

AHPA President Michael McGuffin sent a letter to Congressional leaders in the U.S. House and Senate to request adequate federal funding be included in a fourth COVID-19 relief package to ensure the financial viability and continued operations of the United States Postal Service (USPS).

Webinar presenters explain ways to ensure your marketing claims for herbal immune support products are substantiated, truthful and not misleading. Industry experts review several methods they’ve used to ensure their dietary supplement product claims are well substantiated, including: randomized, controlled clinical trials on a well-known elderberry product; in vitro testing to support the legitimacy of the product; and the relevance of use and training in substantiating the effectiveness of traditional Chinese herbal formulations.