Wednesday, October 4, 2006 - 11:30am to 1:00pm
Theater, Coffman Memorial Union
Mr. Blumenthal asserted that the U.S.'s herbal dietary supplements market reveals a direct correlation between the level of clinical testing for an herb category and its market success. A significant amount of clinical research on a specific herb (e.g., garlic, ginkgo, ginseng) usually pertains to one or two leading proprietary products, even though some competing manufacturers may "borrow" the results of these clinical trials to substantiate claims made for untested competitive or generic products. To assist health professionals in identifying potentially reliable herbal preparations, Mr. Blumenthal showcased specific brands of herb products that have been shown safe and effective in published clinical trials to acknowledge that the vast majority of published clinical literature frequently pertains to one or a few clinically-tested products or materials.
Commentators:
Prof. Theodore P. Labuza, PhD
University of Minnesota
Prof. Bonnie LeRoy, MS
University of Minnesota
Application for CME and CNE Credits was filed with the University of Minnesota Office of Continuing Medical Education. Determination of credit was approved. Credit is only granted for those attending the live lecture.
Mark Blumenthal is the Founder and Executive Director of the American Botanical Council (ABC), an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to disseminating accurate, reliable, and responsible information on herbs and medicinal plants. He is the Editor/Publisher of HerbalGram, an international, peer-reviewed quarterly journal, the contents of which reflect the educational goals of ABC.
For six years he was an Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the College of Pharmacy at the University of Texas at Austin, teaching a course entitled "Herbs and Phytomedicines in Today’s Pharmacy". Mr. Blumenthal is also the senior editor of the English translation of The Complete German Commission E Monographs – Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines (1998), a rational system developed by German regulatory authorities for evaluating the safety and efficacy of herbal medicines.