The botanical medicine world lost a champion recently with the passing of Steven Foster, internationally respected botanical expert, author, and medicinal plant photographer. If you ask any editor, herbal formulator or herbalist in the natural product’s industry where they learned what a particular medicinal plant looks like, they will tell you it was from Steven Foster’s enormous collection of botanical photography.
Though he was a self-taught botanist, he knew more about botany and the supporting literature than the multitude of experts who relied on his work for their work. Described by his colleague Micheal McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association as irreplaceable, Foster’s generosity in sharing his photography with the world was unmatched. You can thank Foster for breadth of natural beauty in the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia®, which furthered the world’s knowledge in the development of qualitative and therapeutic monographs on botanicals. Without these monographs, academicians, health care providers, manufacturers, and regulators would not have this important primary reference for your work in medicine and product formulations.
In honor of his work and legacy, the American Botanical Council (ABC) has published a special tribute page on its website (www.herbalgram.org). Long-time friend and colleague, Mark Blumenthal, wrote in a press release on Foster’s passing: “His keen eye for plants and his ability to photograph them produced a treasure of thousands of beautiful high-quality photos that graced the pages of numerous books and magazine articles, including hundreds of his photos in ABC’s journal HerbalGram, many of them cover photos. If you have enjoyed the beautifully compelling four-color photography in each issue of HerbalGram, you can usually thank Steven for the photos.”
Other tribute comments about Steven Foster
Francis Brinker, ND, naturopathic doctor and author
“Yesterday, I read Steven’s latest contribution to HerbalGram, the piece on saw palmetto, and was amazed at the penetrating depth of his scholarship. I also pulled from my shelves some of the books which he co-authored: Peterson Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America with James Duke; The Herbal Drug Store with Linda White; and Herbal Emissaries with Yue Chongxi. Just these three of his many books demonstrate the breadth of his knowledge, along with his remarkable herbal photography. What a lasting contribution to the appreciation of all things herbal! What a loss.”
Michael Smith, ND, naturopathic doctor, consultant and pharmacist
“I am so sad to hear of the sudden passing of Steven Foster. Though I had only gotten to know Steven quite recently on a personal level, I have greatly appreciated and admired his work throughout my career. He was blessed to be able to weave the science and practice of herbal medicine through the art and beauty of his photography. This is a great loss.“
If you would like to submit a tribute, please fill out and submit this form provided by the American Botanical Council.
Stewart is an award-winning editor, food and health journalist and best-selling author of Eating Between the Lines, the supermarket shopper's guide to the truth behind food labels (St. Martin's Press).
