“Herbal Insights” Debuts on PBS TV Series

(Austin, TX) January 7, 2010. The American Botanical Council (ABC), America’s leading nonprofit herbal research and education organization, has teamed up with the producers of a popular public television series to create “Herbal Insights,” a new segment on popular herbs and herb issues.

ABC Founder and Executive Director Mark Blumenthal has co-created and recorded “Herbal Insights” segments for Healing Quest, a public television show co-hosted by entertainment icon Olivia Newton-John and co-producers Judy Brooks and Roy Walkenhorst of Lightbridge Productions in Sonoma, California.

The new season’s shows with the “Herbal Insights” segments began airing in select markets on January 2, 2010, and are scheduled to run throughout the year. A preliminary schedule for these episodes is available here.

The first 7 “Herbal Insights” provide brief profiles on the following popular herbs: 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.

“We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to work with the producers of Healing Quest to distribute these short 2-minute segments to public television audiences,” said Blumenthal. “Being on public TV helps enhance ABC’s nonprofit educational mission to educate the public about the traditional uses and modern research on herbs and medicinal plants.”

Healing Quest, now in its seventh season, covers many topics related to natural and integrative health. The show frequently features interviews with noted leaders in the natural health and consciousness movements, including author Deepak Chopra, MD; integrative medicine pioneer Andrew Weil, MD; bestselling authors Marianne Williamson and Joan Borysenko, PhD; holistic pediatrician Alan Greene, MD, and others. More at http://www.healingquest.tv/.

Healing Quest is cleared for broadcast on 140 public television (PBS) stations across the Unites States. Since its inception, Healing Quest has been the only weekly national TV series focused entirely on integrative health and natural approaches to optimum well-being.

Among the show’s underwriters, Healing Quest is supported by Traditional Medicinals, a manufacturer of medicinal herbal teas and related herbal products; Bionorica, a German producer of clinically-tested phytomedicinal products; and RFI Ingredients, a supplier of herbs and other dietary ingredients for the food and dietary supplement industries.

About the American Botanical Council

Founded in 1988, the American Botanical Council is a leading international nonprofit organization addressing research and educational issues regarding herbs and medicinal plants. ABC’s members include academic researchers and educators, universities and libraries, health professionals and medical institutions, botanical gardens and arboreta, government agencies, members of the herb, dietary supplement, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries, journalists, consumers, and other interested parties from over 70 countries. The organization occupies a historic 2.5-acre site in Austin, Texas where it publishes the quarterly journal HerbalGram, the monthly e-publication HerbalEGram, HerbClips (summaries of scientific and clinical publications), reference books, and other educational materials. ABC also hosts HerbMedPro, a powerful herbal database, covering scientific and clinical publications on more than 220 herbs.

ABC is tax-exempt under section 501(c) (3) of the IRS Code. Information: Contact ABC at P.O. Box 144345, Austin, TX 78714-4345, Phone: 512-926-4900. Website: http://www.herbalgram.org/.

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