People

James Wong: Ethnobotanist

James Wong is an ethnobotanist and television presenter in the United Kingdom.

At the age of 27, Wong became the presenter of his own television series Grow Your Own Drugs. The six-part series was broadcast on BBC Two, beginning in March 2009. It was made by independent production company Silver River, and demonstrated a number of natural remedies sourced from plants. Wong also authored the book Grow Your Own Drugs: Easy Recipes for Natural Remedies and Beauty Treats, a tie-in with the television show. The series was followed by a one-off Christmas special, Grow Your Own Christmas, and Silver River Productions are making the second series to the programme.

Wong has been a contributor on the BBC One rural affairs series Countryfile since April 2009. In 2008, he was one of the regular presenters on the show Fossil Detectives, which was broadcast initially on BBC Four and then repeated on BBC Two. He has also appeared on BBC’s Gardeners’ World, Channel 4’s Richard & Judy, The Alan Titchmarsh Show on ITV, and on BBC Breakfast.

Wong is a triple RHS medal winner for gardens he co-designed through the design studio he co-founded, Amphibian Designs, at the Chelsea Flower Show and the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. He has designed an Ethnobotanical Garden for the University of Kent, where he is a guest lecturer.

Wong has written for a number of publications, from the BBC Gardening Website, to The Metro’s environment column, on a wide range of botanical topics.

Grow Your Own Drugs: Easy Recipes for Natural Remedies and Beauty Treats by James WongWong has been the Media Relations Officer of the charity Botanic Gardens Conservation International with his job described as “translating hard-core plant science into lively, engaging stories for the press, radio and TV”.

Upon being awarded an academic scholarship, he returned to the UK in 1999 to study at the University of Bath. He then trained at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, and the University of Kent, gaining a Master of Science degree in Ethnobotany, graduating with distinction. His research has taken him to highland Ecuador, as well as to China and Java. – wikipedia.org

For more information, visit his website at www.growyourowndrugs.com

by wikipedia.org
"James Wong, an ethnobotanist, presents "Grow Your Own Drugs", a British television documentary series, and takes the view that people should start making their own remedies in order to save money and feel healthier plus providing simple remedies to everyday ailments. Wong tries out his remedies on members of the public in order to demonstrate the beneficial effects of natural remedies, adding appropriate safety warnings."