Austin, TX--The American Botanical Council (ABC) announced in a press release the recipients of its annual ABC Mark Blumenthal Herbal Community Builder Award: Linnea and Larry Wardwell.

The award is named after the founder and executive director of ABC, Mark Blumenthal. It is given to individuals who have created a community among herbalists, botanical researchers, members of the natural product and herb communities and industries, and among those who work with medicinal and aromatic plants.

ABC noted that the Wardwells have been promoting and organizing herb conferences for over 25 years. The Wardwells have also educated thousands of people through their company, Herbal Education Services, promoted medicine at conferences country wide, and compiled many conference proceedings, making them available for educational purposes.

David Winston, herbalist, author, and founder of Herbalist and Alchemist, an herb company stated, “I cannot think of many people in the American herbal community more deserving of the ABC’s Mark Blumenthal Herbal Community Builder award than Linnea and Larry Wardwell. Quietly behind the scenes, Linnea, Larry, and their staff have planned and supervised two of the most important clinically-oriented American herbal conferences since the 1990s. Through these conferences they have brought together the foremost teachers of clinical herbalism, naturopathic medicine, functional medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tibetan medicine, and Ayurveda with thousands of eager students (many of whom are health professionals). In order to make this vital information more available, they have also produced yearly proceedings and recordings for both conferences that are a testament to both ancient healing traditions and the most up-to-date research in the herbal world."

Winston added, “Few people have had such a profound impact on herbal education as the Wardwells, and it is time for them to step out from behind the computer and receive our sincere gratitude and congratulations for their dedication to making herbal medicine a safe and effective part of so many people’s lives.”