Williams, Oregon., June 16, 2008 /Natural Newswire/ -- Herb Pharm founder, co-owner and President Sara Katz has recently been appointed President of Vermont-based United Plant Savers (UpS), a non-profit organization whose mission is to conserve and restore wild-growing native medicinal plants of the United States and Canada. Sara previously served as the organization’s Treasurer and Secretary, and she and Herb Pharm have been working with UpS for over ten years.
Herb Pharm's and UpS' missions have always been closely entwined and Herb Pharm's organic farm in Oregon is designated as a UpS Botanical Sanctuary. There they research and develop methods for cultivating at-risk medicinal plant species. This provides Herb Pharm with environmentally-responsible supplies of these threatened herbs, and also contributes to their conservation in the wild and their preservation for the enjoyment of future generations.
Herb Pharm's farm has been the site of several UpS "Planting the Future" conferences, which bring together prominent herbalists from around the country to lead seminars, herb walks, and other educational activities designed to raise awareness of environmentally threatened medicinal plants.
In addition to her involvement with Herb Pharm and United Plant Savers, Sara contributes time to several environmental groups and serves on the board of the American Herbal Products Association. She has been working with medicinal herbs for 30 years and, with Ed Smith, founded Herb Pharm in 1979.
Commenting on Sara’s appointment as President, Lynda LeMole, Executive Director of UpS said, “I cannot imagine a more impassioned and dedicated person than Sara, and it is a great joy to share leadership with her. She has worked energetically over the last ten years with UpS to protect our native medicinals.”
When asked about her new role, Sara commented, “Being asked to be president of plant-saving UpS is a great honor. I feel deeply connected to the spirit and work of this organization, which is made up of people who passionately love the healing plants.”
About United Plant Savers:
United Plant Savers is supported by concerned plant lovers, scientists, herbalists and activists whose mission is to protect native medicinal plants of the United States and Canada and their native habitats. UpS’ team of knowledgeable plant professionals has joined together with herbal product manufacturers and government officials to design a newly updated and practical standardized scoring matrix to assess those plants at-risk. There are now 19 plants on the “At-Risk” List in North America alone, including the now-common names of Goldenseal, Echinacea, American Ginseng and Wild Yam. More information is available at www.unitedplantsavers.org.
About Herb Pharm:
Located in rural southern Oregon, Herb Pharm is a certified organic grower of medicinal herbs, and produces America’s #1 selling line of liquid herbal extracts, which is distributed under the Herb Pharm brand through natural product retailers and healthcare professionals. Herb Pharm grows most of its herbs on its 85-acre Oregon Tilth-certified organic farm and also does practical research on the propagation and cultivation of endangered wild medicinal plants. More information is available at www.herb-pharm.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Michael Gillette
(541) 846-6262 ext. 179, mgillette@herb-pharm.com
