The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), a trade association specializing in herbal and botanical dietary supplements, recently issued an update to its online Botanical Safety Handbook, which includes the information pertinent to four botanicals. While each of the herbs accounted for in the update are considered generally safe to use and available widely to consumers, none of these herbs have been subject to large-scale human studies medically substantiating their safety for long-term daily use.
 
The entry on Gotu kola (Centella asiatica) was updated to account for a new clinical trial, a case report, and pharmacology and toxicity studies. Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) was also revised after new clinical trials, pharmacological studies, and toxicity studies were identified. The passion flower (Passiflora incarnata) update accounts for a new clinical trial, a case report, animal pharmacology, and reproductive toxicity studies. Lastly, an update on Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) was issued following a recent review of clinical trials and pharmacology studies.
 
Throughout 2020, the organization made a total of 31 updated entries to the online resource, which is available through a subscription with multi-user rates available for companies in need of expanding access.
 
Subscribers are notified of these updates and are provided with a short description of the updates on the Botanical Safety Handbook home page. The Botanical Safety Handbook is a tool for anyone who manufactures, recommends, or uses herbs and botanicals, and contains safety information on over 500 species of herbs, derived from clinical trials, pharmacological and toxicological studies, medical case reports, and historical texts, each of which is reviewed by AHPA’s expert advisory council.