ADVISORY BOARDS Each issue of HerbaiGram is peer reviewed by various members of our Advisory Boards prior to publication . American Botanical Council Herb Research Dennis V. C. Awang, Ph.D., F.C.I.C., MediPiont Natural Gail B. Mahadr, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor, Products Consul~ng Services, Ottowa, Ontario, Conodo Deportment o Medical Chemistry &Pharmacognosy, College of Foundation Pharmacy, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois Manuel F. Balandrin, R.Ph., Ph.D., Research Scien~st, NPS Rob McCaleb, President Pharmaceuticals, Salt LakeCity , Utah Robin J. Maries, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Botany, Brandon University, Brandon, Manitoba, Conodo Mi(hael J. Balidt, Ph.D., Director of the lns~tute of Econom ic Glenn Appelt, Ph.D., R.Ph., Author and Profess or Botany, the New York Botanical Gorden, Bronx, New York Dennis J. M(Kenna, Ph.D., Consulting Ethnophormocologist, Emeritus, University of Colorado, and with Boulder Beach Joseph M. Betz, Ph.D., Research Chemist, Center for Food Minneapolis, Minnesota Consulting Group Safety and Applied Nutri~on, Division of Natural Products, Food Daniel E. Moerman, Ph.D., William E. Stirton Professor of John A. Beutler, Ph.D., Natural Products Chemist, and Drug Administro~on , Washington, D.C. Anthropology, University of Michigon/ Deorbom, Dearborn, Michigan Notional Cancer Institute Donald J. Brown, N.D., Director, Natural Products Research Consultants; Faculty, Bastyr University, Seattle, Washington Samuel W. Page, Ph.D., Director, Division of Natural Products, Robert A. Bye, Jr., Ph.D., Professor of Ethnobotony, Notional University of Mexico Thomas J. Carlson, M.S., M.D., Senior Director, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutri~on , Food and Drug Administro~on , Washington, D.C. Ethnobiomedicol Field Research, ShamanPhormoceu~col s, South Subhuti Dharmananda, Ph.D., Director, lns ~tute for Son Francisco, California Joseph E. Pizzomo, Jr., N.D., President, Bastyr University, Trad itional Medicine and Preventive Health Core Seattle, Washington Jean Carper, Author and syndicated columnist, Washington, D.C. James A. Duke, Ph.D., Economic Botanist (U.S.D.A., Mark J. Plotkin, Ph.D., Author, Executive Director, Ethnobotony ret.) , Herbal Vineyard, Fulton, Maryland Jerry (ott, Ph.D., Chief of Pharmocalogicol Treatment Research and Conservation Team, Arlington, Virginia Program, Notional Instituteof Mental Health, Rockville, Maryland Norman R. Farnsworth, Ph.D., Research Professor of Eloy Rodriguez, Ph.D., James Perkins Professor of Pharmacognosy, Program for Collaborative Research in the Paul Alan Cox, Ph.D., Professor of Botany and Dean of General Environmental Studies, School of Agriculture &Life Sciences, Educo~on and Honors, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Se nior University Scholar, Cornell University, lthoco, New York University of Illinois ot Chicago Lyle E. Craker, Ph.D., Professor, Deportment of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts James E. Simon, Ph.D., Professor of Horticulture ond Research Ri(hard I. Ford, Ph.D., Professor of Ethnobotony, Director, Center for New Crops &Plant Products, Purdue University of Michigan Edward M. Croom, Jr., Ph.D., Coordinator, Phytomedicine University, West Lafayette, Indiana Project, Notional Center for the Development of Natural Products, David Kroll, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pharmacology Beryl Simpson, Ph.D., C. L. Lundell Professor of Botany, University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi and Toxicology, University of Colorado, School of Deportment of Botany, University of Texas ot Austin, Austin, Texas Pharmacy Wade Davis, Ph.D., Author, ethnobotonist, Washington, D.C. S. H. Sohmer, Ph.D., President and Director, Harriet Kuhnlein, Ph.D., Professor of Nutri~on , Steven Dentali, Ph.D., Natural Products Consultant, Botanical Research lns~tute of Texas, Fort Worth, Texas McGill University Portland, Oregon Barbara N. Timmermann, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology Hardy Eshbaugh, Ph.D., Professor of Botany &Assistant &To xicology, College of Pharmacy, University of Arizona, Tucson, Albert Leung, Ph.D., Pharmacognosist and Pharmacist, Curator, Willard Sherman Turrell Herbarium, Miami University, Arizona Glen Rock, New Je rsey Oxford, Ohio G. H. Neil Towers, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, F. R. S. C., Botany Walter Lewis, Ph.D., Professor of Biology, Washington Steven Foster, Botanist, photographer, author, Fayetteville, Deportment, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British University and Senior Botanist, Missouri Botanical Gardens Arkansas Columbia, Conodo Ara Der Marderosian, Ph.D., Professor of Christopher Hobbs, L.At., AHG, Herbalist, botanist, licensed Arthur 0. Tu(ker, Ph.D., Research Professor of Agriculture and Pharmacognosy, Ph iladelphia College of Pharmacy acupuncturist, Santo Cruz, California Natural Resources, Delaware State University, Dover, Delaware and Science David HoHmann, B. St., M.N.I.M.H., Medical herbalist, Nan(y Turner, Ph.D., Professor and Ethnobotonist, James D. M((hesney, Ph.D., Vice President, Natural Santo Rosa, California Environmental Studies Program, University of Victoria, Victoria, Products Chemistry, NoPro Bio Therapeutics, Boulder, British Columbia, Conodo Mauri(e M. lwu, Ph.D., Bioresources Development ond Colorado Conservo~on Program, Senior Research Associate ot the Division Andrew T. Weil, M.D., Author, Director of the Program in C. Dwayne Ogzewalla, Ph.D., Retired Professor of of Experimental Theropeu~c s, Wolter Reed Army ln s~tu te of lntegra~ve Medicine and Associate Director of the Division of Pharmacognosy, University of Cincinnati Research, Washington, D.C. Social Perspec ~ves in Medicine of the College of Medicine, Un iversity of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona Steven King, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Ethnobotony and Robert Rountree, M.D., Physician, Boulder, Colorado Conservo~on , Shaman Phormoceu~cols , South Son Francisco, od hoc advisor: E. John Staba, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacognosy, California David M. Eisenberg, M.D., Director, Center for Alterno~ve University of Minnesota Fredi Kronenberg, Ph.D., Director, Rosenthal Center for Medicine Research, Beth Israel Hospital/Harvard Medical Varro E. Tyler, Ph.D., Dean and Distinguished Professor Alterno~ve/Complementary Medicine, College of Physicians & School, Boston, Massachusetts of Pharmacognosy Emeritus, School of Pharmacy and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, New York Pharmaceutical Sciences, Purdue University Tom Mabry, Ph.D., Professor of Plant Biochemistry, Deportment Phil Weber, M.D., Physician, Boulder, Colorado of Botany, University of Texas ot Aus~n , Aus~n , Texas Andrew T. Weil, M.D., Author, Director of the Program in lntegra~ve Medicine ond Associate Director of the Division of Social Perspectives in Medicine of the College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 2 • HERBALGRAM No. 40 Educating the Public on the use of Herbs and Phytomedicines DEAR READER As we go to press, several interesting developments have Mark Blumenthal, Executive Director appeared on the regulatory screen. The FDA has released its James A. Duke, Ph.D., Eco nomic Botanist/Author long-awaited proposed regul ations on rna huang, aka ephedra f.tv1ERIUN (U SDA, ret.), Fulton, Maryland (Ephedra sinica). The agency is proposing to allow the contin­ BoT,.AJ\JICAL ued sale of the herb at a reduced maximum unit dosage level at COJNCIL Norman R. Farnsworth, Ph.D., Research Professor of 8 mg of total (ephedra alkaloids, e.g., ephedrine and pseudoephe­ drine), with a maximum total daily ingestion of24 mg, not to be Board of Pharmacog nosy, Program for Collaborative Research in the Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago used for more than seven days. Other limitations also apply. Trustees We include a brief article on this. There is a 75-day comment Varro E. Tyler, Ph.D., Sc. D., Dean and Distinguished Professor period ending August 19, 1997. Predictably, some sellers of of Pharmacognosy Emeritus, School of Pharmacy and ephedra will no doubt object to the low limits and other restric­ Pharmaceutical Sciences, Purdue University tions, which, according to industry hearsay, some people con­ sider not to be based on sound science. Also, breaking just before our press time is the issue of what appears to be accidental adulteration of some lots of the HERBAIGRAM herb plantain with the potentially toxic medicinal plant woolly The Journal of the Ame rican Botonicol Council ond the Herb Research Foundation foxglove, the source of cardioactive glycosides used in medi­ cine. The FDA has received reports of an adverse event involv­ Mork Blumenthal Editor /Publisher ing cardiac complications associated with "Chompers," an herbal Borboro A. Johnston Managing Editor product manufactured by a northern California company. FDA Rob McCaleb Technical Editor research shows that this is not an isolated incident; it relates to Ginger Hudson-Moffei Art Director more than one company's products and has been ongoing for Steven Foster Associate Editor about a year. The traditional herb, plantain, has a long history Downelle Molone Editorial Assistant of safety both as a food and as a medicinal plant in Europe and Ginger Webb Staff Writer the U.S. This ironic event comes at the same time that FDA ha Contributing Editors published proposed good manufacturing practices (GMPs) ini­ Dennis V. C. Awong, Ph .D. Peter Londes tially developed by responsible members of the herb and di­ Woyne Ar mstrong Evelyn Leigh etary supplement industries for FDA review and acceptance. We Koren