I am one of the current volunteers in there. ABC is a wonderful organization I have ever seen till now. I like their dedication and commitment to their creation of providing the public with responsible information on herbs and medicinal plants. And Go to their website, you will learn a lot!
I am chairman of the board of an herbal/dietary supplement company, and we have been major supporters of the American Botanical Council for many years. I consider ABC to be one of the most trusted and scholarly sources of information about botanical medicine, and I am constantly delighted by ABC's energy, honesty, integrity, and service. Mark Blumenthal, the organization's Executive Director, is a treasure. His scholarship is impartial and thorough, his books and articles are critical resources, and his personal professional conduct is impeccable. I am proud that my company is a major donor to ABC, and any donor should have confidence in the integrity of this organization.
Review from Guidestar
The American Botanical Council is a well run organization the practices prudent fiscal management and transparency, excellent program design and implementation, as well as mission fulfillment. The services ABC provides through its programs have furthered both public and professional understanding of the benefit of botanicals. ABC provides an informed, fair, and objective forum of information and research for the public that allows consumers and professionals to make wise and prudent decisions in this area. The Executive Director is a highly respected non profit leader and has personally made major contributions to the field on numerous occasions over the last 30 years.
ABC is a wonderful organization! I have been working with them for years. The ED is a sweet and giving man. Anything that was written by others is a complete lie.
The American Botanical Council is a model of focus, dedication and commitment to their mission of helping people to lead healthier lives through the responsible use of herbs and medicinal plants. I have personally known the ED for 25 years and his integrity, honesty and service to ABC and this industry is beyond reproach. I am dismayed at reading one disgruntled employee's posting and thinking that anyone on Guidestar could post false or misleading information and not be subject to intense vetting and scrutiny to confirm the accuracy of these statements. I have to ABC on a number of occasions and I can guarantee that the adminstrative costs are more in the 15-20% range than the absurd number claimed in this post. In fact anyone who knows the non profit world in any depth would know that you could never accomplish your mission, nor would anyone donate to you, if you had any 80% admin cost. I encourage everyone who is intereted to review ABC's 990's, talk with the ED personally and thoroughly review what this group is accomplishing - you will find a stellar organization, one that deserves our support and applause.
If you currently use or want to begin using herbs and herbal medicine, and you value accurate, up to the minute reliable information about them, the American Botanical Council is your very best ally. Go to their website. It is an incredible source for information. I’ve been into herbs for about 3 decades as a consumer/user. I’m particularly intrigued why one day I’ll hear that an herb is great for you and the next day the same herb is being slammed on mainstream media! Why? You can bet that the Executive Director of ABC is already on it. I know this because I see him when these firestorms hit. I’ve known him for over 34 years and witness firsthand his tireless dedication in insuring that accurate information is distributed to consumers and professionals about herbs all over the world. One reason I use the ABC website is because I want to know why certain studies of herbs are more accurate while others are flawed. And then sometimes I just want to know what kind of herb works for whatever’s ailing me at the time. There’s just a huge amount of free information on their website to answer the casual questions I have. However, I’ve chosen to be a member so I have access to the deeper studies, too, which I really value. I’ve just bought a few acres of land in Austin, Texas and plan to garden. I plan to go visit ABC again to walk and study their herb gardens. They DO their mission on so many levels. I can't speak highly of ABC enough. There’s a review on this website from an ex-employee who clearly has issues with the E.D. This person is just so far off base. ABC’s mission is INFORMATION. In my opinion, it would be reasonable to assume that they pay their IT guy well to maintain the website. I also know their website recently went through a major upgrade. Look at the site. It shows! Use their search function. It works so well. It brings up pertinent information. How many don’t do that! I want to comment too that I know for a fact that this person’s accusation that ABC's admin costs are 80% is just ludicrous. I’m sure anyone that’s concerned can just contact ABC and get the facts firsthand. That same “reviewer’s” personal attack against the E.D. of ABC is simply an embarrassment to that reviewer. I mean, come on, what a disservice. Anyone who knows the E.D. of ABC knows his accusations to be lies. The E.D of ABC doesn’t get drunk or drive drunk. Period. I routinely see him in situations where this would happen and it doesn’t. Anyone who really knows him, knows the he wouldn’t HAVE TIME to get drunk, stoned or whatever this ex-employee's throwing at him! Hah! He’s constantly working to fulfill the mission of ABC. None of us who are close to him can BELIEVE how much this man works. But we who know him well honor him for it. And anyone who values and loves herbs would value ABC and this E.D. in particular.