Food Fraud Database Shows Increase in Reports of Black Pepper and
Tea Adulteration
By Lindsay Stafford Mader, HEG Staff
The US Pharmacopeial Convention recently added about 800 new entries to its Food
Fraud Database, which suggests that the number of adulteration reports on several
botanicals, such as saffron, remain steady, while reports on the adulteration of other
botanicals are possibly increasing. Read more >>
which were funded by a company that manufactures DMAA-containing supplements —
for inadequate documentation of authentication techniques, among other reasons.
Read more >>
By Lindsay Stafford Mader, HEG Staff
Many species of endangered animals are killed or severely injured to support the
growing industry of illegal wildlife trafficking, largely driven by the demand for remedies
containing rhino horn, bear bile, and tiger bone. Read more >>
ABC Press Release
In late January 2013, ABC announced the adoption of olive by Natac, a natural
products and biotechnology company. Read more >>

Saffron threads.
©2013 Steven Foster

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Sex & Fertility: Natural Solutions by Linda Woolven and Ted Snider, published in 2012 by Fitzhenry & Whiteside. The featured excerpt includes the book's table of contents and sections from the book's chapter on female infertility: an introduction to female infertility and herbs for female infertility.
Sex & Fertility is a user-friendly, science-based guide to sexual health issues, featuring treatments that draw from ancient remedies to modern techniques. Authors Linda Woolven and Ted Snider candidly discuss sensitive yet important topics, including sexuality after menopause, postpartum depression, and male and female infertility.
Available for purchase at the publisher’s website.
Czech Parliament Backs Medical Marijuana. Wall Street Journal. With strong bipartisan support, the Czech Republic's Senate recently approved the sale of imported medicinal cannabis.
Biodynamic Cacao: New Trend in Chocolate? Miami New Times. The biodynamic movement, with more stringent rules than organic practices, is a new trend in chocolate and sustainable agriculture.
USPLabs Sets Aside $2m to Settle DMAA Class Action Cases. NutraIngredients.com. Supplement maker USPLabs recently settled a large class-action lawsuit, denying any wrongdoing.
MU Wins Millions for Medicinal Plant Research. Columbia Daily Tribune. NIH awarded the University of Missouri $7.6 million to establish the new Center for Botanical Interaction Studies.
Experts Cool Concerns Over FDA Aloe Vera Carcinogenicity Study. NutraIngredients.com. Scientists vouch for the safety of commercial aloe products despite negative results from an FDA analysis.
Flu Fighters: Natural Ways to Combat the Flu This Winter. Fox News. Medicine hunter Chris Kilham discusses natural flu remedies such as elderberry and cat’s claw.
Columbia to Double the Size of Massive Amazon Reserve. MongaBay.com. Columbia is expected to double the size of its Chiribiquete National Park.
Good Name Is Restored in Terrain Known for Tea. New York Times. The EU recently decided to restrict the use of the term “Darjeeling” to teas grown only in or around Darjeeling, India.
Dietary Supplement Industry Coalition Releases 3rd Guideline on GMP Compliance. Press release from the Council for Responsible Nutrition.
DC Circuit Court Denies Medical Marijuana Reclassification Challenge, Advocates Vow to Appeal. Press release from Americans for Safe Access.
New Study Reveals Supplement Labels for Caffeine are Inaccurate. Press release from the National Science Foundation.
Bastyr University Announces New Master's Degree in Ayurvedic Sciences. Press release from Bastyr.
PepsiCo Takes Brominated Vegetable Oil Out of Gatorade. Press release from the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
In 1753, the father of taxonomy, Carl Linnaeus, gave chocolate the genus name of Theobroma, a Latin word that he thought was very fitting for the ancient tree (cacao, chocolate’s species name, comes from the Aztec word xocolatl, meaning “bitter water”). What does theobroma mean? Find the answer here.