Two herb-focused groups took time out at Expo West to honor some important people in their circles.

At the 8^th Annual American Botanical Celebration (ABC), ABC honored five individuals/companies for their contributions to the herbal community. The James A. Duke Excellence in Botanical Literature Award went to Martin A. Lee for Smoke Signals: A History of Marijuana, and to Bruce Ponman and Rainer Bussmann for Medicinal Plants and the Legacy of Richard E. Schultes. De-an Guo, Ph.D., received the Norman R. Farnsworth Excellence in Botanical Research Award. Horphag Research is the 2013 winner of the Varro E. Tyler Commercial Investment in Phytomedicinal Research Award for its work on Pycnogenol. Last, herbalist and author Rosemary Gladstar received the Mark Blumenthal Herbal Community Builder Award.

The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) gave out its 8^th Annual AHPA Awards, which “recognize individuals and companies making substantive, positive contributions to the herbal products industry.” This year, AHPA Herbal Hero Award (for those who made outstanding contributions to AHPA committees or initiatives) went to Sidney Sudberg and Élan Sudberg of Alkemists Laboratories, Costa Mesa, CA. Meanwhile, the AHPA Herbal Industry Leader Award went to Trout Lake Farm, Trout Lake, WA (with recognition to cofounder and sales manager Martha Jane Johnson, who is retiring), for helping move the industry forward beyond normal business practices. Josef Brinckmann of Traditional Medicinals, Sebastopol, CA, was honored with the AHPA Herbal Insight Award for furthering knowledge of botanicals. Last, Lynda LeMole, was given the special AHPA Visionary Award for her pioneering efforts in herbal medicine.

Published in WholeFoods Magazine, May 2013