The purpose of the conference is to bring together experts in the area of authentication of botanicals to evaluate the state of the science as it pertains to industrial quality assurance, and the documentation and characterization of botanical ingredients (plant material and botanical extracts) for use in pre-clinical and clinical research. The conference will A) Enumerate and describe current approaches to botanical ingredient identification; B) Identify the strengths and weaknesses in the methodology currently used for authentication of botanicals; C) Indicate which areas constitute """"""""settled"""""""" science and provide reliable tools for botanical identification and D) Identify gaps in the methodology and recommend fruitful areas of research that can fill the gaps. The objective of the meeting is to collect the perspectives and overviews provided by the participants along with their recommendations for future research directions and to publish them as a 'white paper' and to publish the proceedings as a special edition of a peer reviewed scientific journal. The proposed conference will advance the knowledge required to quality control botanical supplements. The direct result to public health will be to improve the safety and efficacy of the botanical supplements consumed by the public. ? ? ? ?
