Herbs Go Hollywood

OK, well not quite, but the news does involve ABC. A new spotlight on herbs is set to launch inside the popular PBS television show Health Quest, which is co-hosted by Olivia Newton-John and co-producers Judy Brooks and Roy Walkenhorst, of Lightbridge Productions in Sonoma, California. Beginning Jan. 2, 2010, shows will have 2-minute “Herbal Insight” segments, which were co-created and recorded Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of the American Botanical Council (ABC). 

The herbal spots will run throughout the year; a tentative schedule is posted on the Herbalgram Web site. The first seven “Herbal Insights” will provide brief profiles on chamomile (Matricaria recutita), peppermint (Mentha x piperita), ginger (Zingiber officinale), licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), marshmallow (Althaea officinalis), senna (Senna alexandrina), and slippery elm (Ulma rubra) bark.

Healing Quest has logged six seasons focusing on natural and integrative healing, and has featured several alternative health notables in past shows, including Andrew Weil, M.D., Deepak Chopra, M.D., bestselling authors Marianne Williamson and Joan Borysenko, Ph.D., and holistic pediatrician Alan Greene, M.D. Sponsors of the show have  included Traditional Medicinals, Bionorica and RFI Ingredients.

The show broadcasts to around 140 public television (PBS) stations across the Unites States and, since its inception, has been the only weekly national TV series focused entirely on integrative health and natural approaches to optimum well-being. I’d say this is a good forum for Mark and his herbal insights.