Herbs of Commerce

Herbs of Commerce, 3rd Ed. (2023)

• Retail Price: $195.00

• AHPA Member Price: $95.00

AHPA Members: Click here to download the AHPA member promo code and redemption instructions for Amazon.com. (AHPA membership and login required. Download will begin automatically.)

About Herbs of Commerce

The American Herbal Products Association's Herbs of Commerce provides guidance on consistent naming of botanical ingredients on product labels, especially those marketed in the United States as dietary supplements. The newly published third edition contains entries for over 2,800 separate plant species, over 1,000 botanical synonyms, over 300 Ayurvedic, and over 700 pinyin names.
 

AHPA published the first edition of Herbs of Commerce in 1992 as self-governing guidance to reduce confusion associated with labeling botanical ingredients and established a single “standardized” common name for each listed herb. The publication took the force of federal law when it was incorporated by reference in 1997 as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initiated rulemaking to implement the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994.

AHPA published the second edition of Herbs of Commerce in 2000 with the aim to expand and update each subsequent edition to reflect herbs presently on the market and contemporary botanical nomenclature, a practice that continued with the publication of the third and latest edition in 2023.

Acknowledgments

This work is a labor of love completed under the management of Merle Zimmermann and editorship of Holly E. Johnson and Michael McGuffin.

In addition, this revision could not have been completed without the dedication, experience and knowledge of Wendy Applequist, as well as the group of volunteers who served on this edition’s Expert Advisory Council: David Bunting, Mitch Coven, Daniel Gagnon, Wilson Lau, Roy Upton, David Winston, and Steven Yeager.

Finally, essential to the production of this work is the financial contributions of the following sponsors, whose generous support of Herbs of Commerce, 3rd Edition, advances the efforts of the herbal products industry and AHPA’s development of meaningful self-regulatory tools.

Dedication

This volume is dedicated to the memory of Steven Foster: master herbalist, renowned botanical photographer, herbal literature historian, prolific author, husband, father, and friend. Steven was also the editor of the first edition of Herbs of Commerce published in 1992. Through his captivating work delicately showcasing the beauty of herbs and medicinal plants, and memories of his most kind and thoughtful spirit, Steven’s impact on the herbal community will forever endure.

Photo by Matt Magruder (American Botanical Council)