The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) has announced the release of the third edition of Herbs of Commerce. The publication provides guidance on the consistent naming of botanical ingredients on product labels, especially those marketed in the U.S. as dietary supplements, according to the association. It is now available for purchase on Amazon.

AHPA published the first edition of Herbs of Commerce in 1992 as self-governing guidance to reduce confusion associated with labeling botanical ingredients and establish a single “standardized” common name for each listed herb. The publication was incorporated by reference in 1997 as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initiated rule making to implement the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act  of 1994 (DSHEA).

AHPA published the second edition of Herbs of Commerce in 2000, with the aim to expand and update each subsequent edition to reflect herbs presently on the market and contemporary botanical nomenclature. The newly published third edition contains entries for more than 2,800 separate plant species, more than 1,000 botanical synonyms, more than 300 ayurvedic, and more than 700 pinyin names.

“Dietary supplements are currently of peak interest to health-minded consumers,” said AHPA President Michael McGuffin, who served as an editor of the second edition of Herbs of Commerce. “Responsible marketers have a duty to clearly and accurately label herbal ingredients to help consumers make well-informed decisions about the products they buy, and Herbs of Commerce serves as an authoritative resource for naming botanical ingredients.”

For more information, visit www.ahpa.org.