Humans love plants. We tend to them, and we use them for nourishment and decoration. And, thanks to thousands of studies, many plants seem to love us too, providing us (and our pets) with condition-specific support and boosted wellness.

And as retailers, your herb supplement section is likely attracting buzz. And this buzz is likely to get louder as more customers seek them out.

The Nutrition Business Journal estimated sales growth of botanical supplements rose significantly by 9.7 percent in 2021 from 2020. Consumers’ spending on botanical supplements grew by almost $1.1 billion to reach $12.350 billion. Meanwhile, in the year of COVID-19 (2020), consumers really bought into herbs as sales in this sector rose a whopping 17.3 percent from the prior year.

According to the Nutrition Business Journal’s new “Herbs and Botanicals Special Report,” 58 percent of consumers surveyed believe that herbs and botanicals are safer than prescriptions and OTCs (over-the-counter), while 12 percent believe the opposite. The opportunity for retailers, it would appear, lies in working with their communities to educate the remaining 30 percent who are unsure if herbs are safer than drugs.

So, it appears that consumers have finally reached the point where botanical products are important in their daily supplement routines.

Beth Lambert, CEO, Herbalist & Alchemist, New Jersey, is seeing higher demand for herbs that address stress, including nervines such as milky oats, calming adaptogens such as ashwagandha, and more relaxing sleep-supporting blends with herbs such as hops or valerian. Herbs for digestion, both bitters and carminatives, and immune system support such as andrographis and elderberry, remain strong areas. Adaptogens continue to be popular as well as hawthorn-based formulas for cardiac support.

“From our perspective, the interest in the healing properties of mushrooms has been increasing,” observed Lucille Perrault, president of Canada-based Essiac. For example, a recent clinical trial was published on the effects of AHCC, a mushroom extract, and HPV. AHHC is included in our Essiac Gold product.”

Chris Kilham, Medicine Hunter, consultant to KSM-66 Ashwagandha, sees what he described as two overlapping markets for herbal supplements, mass (mainstream) market and natural channel. Elderberry has been strong for the past few years in mass/mainstream due to its association with flu alleviation and presumed benefits with COVID-19. “The market has responded in a major way to this, pushing elderberry to the No. 1 position in the 2021 Herb Market report. This shows that marketing efforts—and a great deal of major media support—can push an herb to lofty heights, especially in times of need,” he emphasized.

In the U.S. natural channel CBD and various non-psychoactive extracts, distillates and isolates continue to be strong sellers, though, stated Kilham, “The bloom is off the rose of a very chaotic market and sales of these items are in decline.” In mass market channels apple cider vinegar is a powerful seller after being around for centuries. And in the natural channel, he added, retailers are seeing both turmeric and ashwagandha in the top five most popular herbs list, “showing that a steady flow of science and heavy promotion are fundamentals for building a strong botanical. Cranberry remains a perennial best-seller, because it just plain works for UTIs (urinary tract infections),” he noted.

Current Issues Facing Herbs

The growing awareness of climate change and its mal-effects on people and the planet encourages the question of impact on the botanical supply and manufacturing industry.

Perrault related, “Having grown up on a farm, I have a keen understanding of the impact of weather and soil conditions on crop yield. It is clear that the climate is changing, and the challenges of a shorter growing season and increasing disruptive events such as frost, drought and flooding are being felt by producers. These conditions particularly affect producers who use organic and natural farming practices.”

Lambert agreed that the uncharacteristic and abnormal heat spikes, rains and drought affect harvest timing and crop quality. Because many of the herbs used by Herbalist & Alchemist are shipped fresh to its facility, timing of harvest and shipment is extremely important, she noted. “We see more uncertainty in delivery timing from growers. We try to split up some of our higher demand botanicals from a variety of geographic locations to help ensure our supply.

In his work and travels throughout the globe, Kilham related that he has been asking native peoples all over the world about this for the past decade, and to a man, he stated, everybody has remarked that things are changing. Global climate change is affecting temperatures, rainfall, seasons, plant maturation and plant production, all over.

He reported that, for example, coffee and cacao are both in decline and agricultural experts are working hard to find solutions to reverse the decline. Arabica bean coffee may be replaced by Coffea stenophylla, which is hardier and more resistant to temperature and weather fluctuations. Another aspect of climate change has been the noticeable decline of pollinators, which adversely affects many crops globally, and this is topped by an increasing number of devastating storms that put many crops under threat. “If a company is not working directly with plants in the field, they will perish. Calling someone on the phone for your herbs is increasingly risky,” he said.

Herbalist & Alchemist has adjusted to climate change trends by trying to buy in advance to meet its needs for a given year. “We have good relationships with our growers and wildcrafters, and stay in close communication, which is helpful is maintaining supply,” she assured.

Many of Essiac’s organic herbs come from Europe where organic farming techniques are more entrenched, according to Perrault. As the weather is unpredictable, the yields for the herbs we need to produce Essiac have become less reliable. Consequently, we have had to delay new product introductions, as we cannot get enough quality herbs to meet demand.

There are several current and persistent challenges in ensuring herbal products are sustainable and clean-label. According to Lambert, these include loss of growing habitat to real estate development, and the aging farming community are challenges. “There are younger people who have an interest in farming, but the cost of land and labor raise significant challenges for them,” she commented.

“Mis-identification of plants and plant parts, either unintentional or intentional, is a problem in the herbal market,” Kilham stated. “Adulteration with known incorrect plant materials, drugs or other unlisted agents is also a threat to the herbal market. ABC’s (American Botanical Council) Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program (BAPP) gives excellent insight into what is happening in this area.”

Botanical Sustainability

Sustainability has risen to the top of the conversation topics for health-minded consumers who are increasingly proactive in ensuring the planet is being tended to and nurtured.

But as is often a response to hot-button trends, there are some companies that don’t walk the walk. And there are some herbal brands that may appear ethical in their sustainable pronouncements, but are not. As Kilham noted, “Greenwashing remains an issue, with some companies grossly exaggerating their efforts in the herbal sector. All aspects of sustainability including organic cultivation, non-damaging wildcrafting, improved wages, community benefit sharing, clean and green extraction and adherence to the United Nations 17 Goals for Sustainable Development principles on sustainability add up to a very clear path and unambiguous set of obligations for companies that want to be real. Those who want to spin fluff will be marginalized over time,” he predicted.

Originators of botanical material are stepping up. For example, Lambert noted that organically grown herbs are much more readily available than previously, and this is especially true with the company’s Asian-based suppliers.

“There are some people cultivating botanicals that have previously only been wildcrafted, which we call wild-simulated growing,” she explained. For example, the grower who supplies Herbalist & Alchemist’s American Ginseng has more than 50 years of experience in producing forest-grown, wild-simulated ginseng in a natural way at a high elevation under a canopy of hardwood forest. Their seed stock, developed from wild seed, gathered locally, results in a root with maximum potency. This grower won’t harvest roots until they are at least six to eight years old, to ensure maximum ginsenoside levels. “The age of the roots when harvested is why wild ginseng is usually considered the most potent, and growing in the wild provides the best environment for ginsenoside production within the plant.”

This example illustrates Perrault’s statement that “Sometimes old practices become new again.” In response to environmental concerns, some producers are reducing their reliance on nitrogen fertilizers and introducing “time-honored” practices, such as summer fallow and planting nitrogen-rich crops, such as clover, to restore the soil.

“Many more companies are now seeing not only the future but the present,” said Kilham. “We urgently need as many sustainable industries as possible, to avert further disaster than is already on the way. Many more companies than before have benefit-sharing programs that give back to communities from which many herbs are derived. Improved cultivation and wild harvesting activities help to maintain a better future for popular botanicals. And doing as much for people who perform the back-breaking labor that enables us to make billions is simply a moral obligation.”

Gaia Herbs, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina, is an example. Its 2020 “Social & Environmental Impact Report,” proclaims, “We choose to regenerate rather than deplete” because “how plants are grown can be powerfully destructive in the context of industrial farming, or powerfully beneficial in the case of regenerative agriculture.”

In its report, Gaia Herbs asserted that regenerative agriculture is a step beyond sustainable, as this means to maintain as is, and that regenerative agriculture fight climate change, promotes crop resilience, and is beneficial for miroorganisms and animals as it encourages biodiversity. In 2020, the company cleared invasive species from 15 acres of wildlife habitat, planted 875 trees between fields to cycle nutrients, build soil, provide shade and sequester carbon and sequestered 40,560 pounds of carbon by those trees, among other achievements.

Other programs and activities employed by Gaia Herbs for regeneration of resources include ethical wild harvesting, protecting and encouraging a diversity of pollinators, soil stewardship and seed saving.

Gaia Herbs has developed global regenerative agriculture pilot projects and prioritizes the use of FairWild and Fair Trade Certified herbs in its products.

Herbalist & Alchemist, said Lambert, also places great emphasis on supporting growers who practice regenerative agriculture, permaculture, biodynamics, regenerative organic, forest grown, FairWild, ecologically and ethically wildcrafted, wild-simulated, non-GMO (genetically modified organism), grown naturally and organic compatible practices in sourcing raw materials for its herbal products in the belief that carbon-storing, regenerative agriculture is essential in combating climate change.

In its recently released 2022 Sustainability Report, Herbalist & Alchemist explained how it reached its milestone of zero waste. For Herbalist & Alchemist, zero waste, according to Lambert, means maximizing diversion from landfills and reducing waste at the source, with the goal of striving for more sustainable waste management practices. It requires the conservation of all resources by responsible production, consumption, reuse and recovery of products, packaging and materials without burning and with no discharges to land, water or air that threaten the environment or human health.

“In 2019 we set the goal to become zero waste in our operations, and in 2021 we reached the qualifications required before pursuing Zero Waste certification, which is less than 10 percent of waste going to the landfill, with the other 90 percent diverted, reused, donated, or composted,” said Lambert. “Radical reduction in waste has contributed to our total carbon emissions falling to 1 percent in the Scope 1 direct emissions category. By breaking down Scope 3 emissions into sub-categories, we discovered further ways to reduce those emissions,” she said.

KSM-66 Ashwagandha has what Kilham described as a “vigorous” sustainability program that starts with organic ashwagandha cultivation and higher wages for farm workers than other regional jobs. The company hires mostly women, and that helps to empower them at least somewhat economically. Revenues support a couple of schools, a hospital, vaccination programs, and other community services. All manufacturing is triple GMP (good manufacturing practice)-certified, clean and green and safe.

Personally and professionally, Kilham recounted, “Many years ago my friends and I had a brand of calophyllum oil called True Tamanu. It was crushed and pressed in hand presses, the nuts were collected from pristine beaches, and we charged all purchasing companies a 7 percent overage for CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity)–compliance, which enabled us to refurbish rural schools, re-do a maternity clinic and aid communities. If your heart is in it you can be endlessly creative with sustainability.

Additionally, Kilham and friends at Chakarunas Trading in Peru ran The Apus Boat, funded by Naturex, which delivered free dental services to riverside villages along Peru’s Ucayali River.

There are numerous stories of helping others and the planet from both finished product brands and ingredient suppliers. They would gladly share all of them with retailers to pass onto consumers who want to do their part by supporting these companies—and you. VR

For More Information:

Essiac, www.essiac.com
Gaia Herbs, www.gaiaherbs.com
Herbalist and Alchemist, www.herbalist-alchemist.com
KSM-66, www.ksm66.com

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