ABC Takes Herbal Insights to PBS

AUSTIN, TexasThe American Botanical Council (ABC) has teamed up with the makers of the TV series Healing Quest to develop a segment called Herbal Insights focused on popular herbs and herb issues. Mark Blumenthal, ABCs founder and executive director, co-created and recorded the segments, which began airing in select markets on public television (PBS) on Jan. 2, 2010. The first seven 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, Blumenthal said. Being on public TV helps enhance ABCs 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. Among the shows underwriters, are 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.