Spices and Medicine Symposium with the Peter Bradley Lecture 2026
UCL Spices and Medicine will host its 2026 symposium as a hybrid event at the UCL School of Pharmacy and online. The afternoon programme will explore current research at the interface of food, medicine, culture and botanical traditions, with a particular focus on herbal medicine quality, adulteration and product safety.
Event Information
The event is co-organised by the team at the UCL School of Pharmacy and the British Herbal Medicine Association. Talks will be co-chaired by Professor Michael Heinrich and Dr Banaz Jalil.
Programme Highlights
Arrival and registration
Guests arrive for the afternoon symposium.
Short lectures
Dr Shelini Surendran will discuss Lion’s Mane and its current public profile, followed by Dr Anthony Booker and Dr Proma Khondkar on aflatoxin risks in food supplements.
Peter Bradley Lecture
Dr Stefan Gafner, Chief Science Officer of the American Botanical Council, will present on adulterated herbal medicines and botanical ingredients, drawing on fifteen years of the Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program.
Round table discussion
“Truth in the Roots” or “Fighting the Fakes”: a panel discussion on adulteration and quality challenges for herbal medical products, including questions to the speakers.
Reception
Reception at the Junior Common Room of the UCL School of Pharmacy.
About UCL Spices and Medicine
UCL Spices and Medicine is an interdisciplinary initiative based at the UCL School of Pharmacy. It showcases research relating the history of medicinal plants and natural products to the present day, highlighting their relevance across academic fields and encouraging collaboration with institutions and communities interested in botanical traditions.
Registration is handled directly through Eventbrite. Please select either the in-person or online registration option above.
