Since herbal products have gone public one needs a guide to figure out who is doing what in the mainstream. This lecture touches on recent activities of the Washington DC area institutions such as AOAC International, FDA, FTC, the Institute of Medicine, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, the Office of Dietary Supplements, US Fish and Wildlife, and the US Pharmcopeia as they relate to botanicals and botanical products. Time permitting, Canada's innovative approach to herbal product regulation will also be discussed.