Blog
Archive November 2024
All of the articles archived for the month that you have specified are displayed below.
Radicle Science Trailblazer: Michael McGuffin
November 21, 2024
Radicle Science is thrilled to welcome our November Trailblazer, Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association since 1999. He leads the association in promoting responsible and sustainable herbal commerce, ensuring consumers informed access to safe products. McGuffin also serves on the boards of the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia and United Plant Savers and the advisory boards of the USC School of Pharmacy Regulatory Science Master’s Program and the Appalachian Beginning Forest Farmers Coalition. An industry veteran since 1974, McGuffin has led legislative and regulatory advocacy that has shaped the herbal and natural products industry for decades.
Dive into our Trailblazer’s response as he addresses misconceptions about the dietary supplement industry, authentic customer engagement, and unexpected sources of inspiration fueling passion and trust in the field.
2025 AHPA Award Nominations now open
November 18, 2024

The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) is pleased to invite members to nominate standout individuals and organizations in our community for the 2025 AHPA Awards. First presented in 2006, the annual AHPA Awards recognize individuals and organizations for making positive and substantive contributions to the herbal and natural products industry.
Nominations must be submitted by Friday, Dec. 13, 2024 in order to be considered for one of the following awards:
-
AHPA Herbal Hero Award: Recognizes an individual who makes outstanding contributions to AHPA committees or initiatives. (Nominee must represent a current AHPA member company.)
-
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. (Nominee must be a current AHPA member company.)
-
AHPA Herbal Insight Award: Recognizes an individual or non-commercial organization that has a significant impact on furthering knowledge and understanding of botanicals and their uses. (Nominee does not need to be associated with a current AHPA member company, but this award is limited to individuals or non-commercial organizations only.)
-
AHPA Herbal Diversity & Inclusion Award: Recognizes an individual, organization, or company that demonstrates excellence in commitment to the values of diversity, inclusion and equality benefitting both the herbal products industry and broader society. (Nominee does not need to be associated with a current AHPA member company.)
-
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. (Nominee does not need to be associated with a current AHPA member company.)
Nominations can be submitted using the online nomination form (preferred) or by email to communications@ahpa.org. Nominations must be received by 11:59pm PT on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024 to be considered. Please note the deadline will not be extended.
After the nomination period closes, nominees will be reviewed by members of the AHPA Communications Committee, which represents a diverse group of industry stakeholders. The AHPA Communications Committee recommends recipients for each award category and presents these recommendations to the AHPA Board of Trustees for approval.
Winners will be notified in January 2025, and AHPA Awards will be presented at the AHPA Annual Member Meeting on Tuesday, March 4, 2025 at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, CA.
More information about the awards, including a list of previous winners, is available here.
European Court of Justice annuls prohibition for hydroxyanthracene derivatives (HADs) in Aloe spp.
November 14, 2024
Regulation had prohibited the presence of HADs in preparations of Aloe spp.
On Nov. 13, 2024, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) annulled portions of European Commission Regulation (EU) 2021/468 of 18 March 2021 amending Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 1925/2006, as regards to botanical species containing hydroxyanthracene derivatives (HADs). The EJC decision was issued as part of the consideration of four different legal actions that had been brought against the European Commission (EC) following the issuance of the regulation in March 2021.
The ECJ agreed with applicant arguments that the EC had incorrectly applied the requirements of Article 8 of the Regulation to prohibit use of preparations of Aloe spp., as no threshold had been identified for daily intake of Aloe spp. that would give rise to human health concerns. Among other findings, the ECJ also concluded that the EC had exceeded what is permitted to be prohibited under Article 8 of the Regulation. The regulation as written prohibited all “preparations from the leaf of Aloe species containing [HADs],” and the ECJ concluded that Article 8 provisions cannot be used to prohibit use of specific foodstuffs or botanicals.
These decisions may impact EC action that was expected to also prohibit the use of preparations containing HADs from the root or rhizome of Rheum palmatum L., Rheum officinale Baillon and their hybrids; from the leaf or fruit of Cassia senna L.; and from the bark of Rhamnus frangula L. or Rhamnus purshiana DC. These botanicals had been added to Part C (under scrutiny) of Annex III to Regulation No 1925/2006 in March 2021, and recent indications were that these botanicals would also be prohibited by moving them to Part A of the regulation. The decisions could also impact future handling of the prohibition of botanicals or botanical constituents of concern by the EC.
Aloe Vera of Europe (Netherlands); Ortis (Belgium); Synadiet (France); and the group of Aboca SpA Soc. agr., Coswell SpA (Italy), and Associação Portuguesa de Suplementos Alimentares (Portugal), were the organizations that brought forth legal applications in this matter.
Introducing the 2025 NutraIngredient-USA Start-up Stars
November 14, 2024
|