The Minnesota Pharmacists Association (MPhA) formed an herbal task force in May 1998 in response to the confusion brought about by the existence of both credible and questionable information on herbs and other dietary supplements and the existence of herbal products of questionable quality. The task force is organized into "focus" workgroups including publications focus groups, Continuing Education, product selection, herb file, and reference center.

The MPhA Herbal Task Force efforts are being supported by a start-up grant from Upsher Smith. The Reference Center will use grant money to purchase evidence-based reference materials that will be available to pharmacists for their review during MPhA's regular business hours. In addition, the task force intends to publish reviews of these reference materials in MPhA publications. New groups starting are CE with case studies, use of local plants, and workgroup focusing on a trip to Germany.

Article copyright American Botanical Council.

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By Jodi Chaffen