Singing the praises of herbs
Olivia Newton-John has always tried to convey positive messages with her work, from her cheerful Sandy character in the movie Gran (recently re-released to theaters) to the soothing, top hit tunes -“If You Love Me (Let Me Know”) and “Xanadu,” among others.
It’s no surprise, then, that when faced with breast cancer five years ago, Olivia found positive ways to heal, with the help of herbal remedies.
Today she’s well, enjoying life in Malibu with her 12-year-old daughter, Chloe, and their dogs and, of course, working when she desires. Not a bad recovery. She still takes herbs daily and applies a healthful approach to everything - from what she eats to the charities she supports and the way she spends her free time (mostly in the great outdoors).
Our writer caught up with her for a chat and discovered that, even after all these years, Newton-John does indeed have something pretty wonderful to sing about.
Who introduced you to herbs?
My doctor, who’s also a homeopath and herbalist. I was dealing with cancer and going through chemo-therapy. He suggested I use homeopathy and take herbs to help combat the side effects of the chemo, which can make a person very uncomfortable.
So you were comfortable with trying alternative medicine?
I wanted to try it all and cover all my buses. Actually, I was more concerned about doing the chemotherapy, but I wanted to do everything to get rid of the cancer. That’s just natural.
Do you still take herbs?
Yes. I’ve been taking herbs from a friend’s company, Rainforest B10 Energetics, for the last three years He got sick in the jungle in Brazil, and the natives helped him out and brought him back to health. He brought the herbs back and started selling them.
That’s quite a way to find a new career. Which herbs do you take?
His company makes something called Illumination, which helps with general maintenance. I take it three times a day - I just take a squirt from a bottle. Some people dilute it with water or put it in a tea, but I take it straight.
It sounds like the Ajax of herbs. What’s in Illumination?
Suma, tau, lemon balm, peppermint, chamomile, sangre de drago, Spanish for blood of the dragon, and mariprana, which sounds like marijuana, but it’s not.
That’s quite a mouthful. Is there anything else you take?
When I visit different climates, I take echinacea-and-goldenseal, calcium, zinc, a multivitamin, vitamin C, and colloidal minerals.
But not every day?
No, only when I feel something coming on, like a cold er flu. My throat was a little sore the day I flew into Nashville to record my new album. But I had to sing and couldn’t afford to get sick, so 1 gargled with echinacea and goldenseal, and the pain was gone.
Does your daughter take herbs?
Yes, I water them down for her because she doesn’t like the taste of the herbs. We also take vitamins. We really like this new vitamin/herb spray. It’s from Karmor International and it looks like a Binaca Blast bottle. Hive’ what it says on the bottle calcium, magnesium, vitamins C and D, cyame, fennel, alfalfas, rosemary, and natural fruit-juice base.
Do you have to coerce her to take the vitamin/herb spray?
No. Actually, when I’m driving her to school she takes a squirt of it and likes it. I put it under my tongue because you get more out of it that way. On the whole, the spray is better than pills, because you have to digest the pills, and you lose a lot that way. It also annoys me to carry all those pill bottles around.
Where do you call home?
Malibu. I travel, but I try not to do that too much. Right now I’m traveling a lot more, but I am usually only gone for four or five days at a time. I’m lucky that I have a good group around me, a lot of friends, to help me with Chloe But I don’t like to be gone too long.
Put these in order of importance: fame, health, family, nature.
Oh, a hard one. Let’s see health, family, nature, fame.
So fame is last. It isn’t very Important to you, then?
No, it isn’t. Fame has brought me a wonderful life, but there’s nothing more important than my daughter. She’s my life. I would have put family first, but if I don’t have my health, I can’t raise my daughter. It’s kind of an unfair question because family, nature, and health all go together. Without nature we couldn’t survive. And that’s a very frightening thought. Our planet is being destroyed very quickly.
Describe your perfect day.
Ar home. Walking on the beach with my daughter and my dogs - I have a Bijon, a Pomeranian, and a setter
What else would you do with your day?
Have brunch on the deck, read the paper, be with friends.
I always feel better after a walk in the park. Do you exercise outdoors?
I walk a lot. I’m lucky because with where I live, I can run on the beach. I go to the gym twice a week where I do aerobics, work out on the treadmill, and lift weights. I just hired a trainer recently. I do something every day. I’m lucky generically; I don’t really have to do too much, but I feel better when I exercise. It’s a way to get rid of stress.
Do you feel that being in nature helps your health?
Absolutely. Nature is the most beautiful thing we have. It’s better than art because it’s from the Creator. No one else can create nature. I love the colors. Colors are healing - that’s been proven. And just being outside is calming.
Living in L.A., where people fixate on their bodies, do you feel pressure to be in great shape?
People obsess over their looks, but I don’t. It’s more important to shine on the inside.
Let’s talk about food. Do you follow any trendy diets like the Zone or are you into the “See Food Diet”, like me?
(laughs) I’m on a wheat- and dairy-free diet. Wheat makes me feel bloated, so I feel better when I don’t eat it. Also, I’m not food-motivated. I eat for health rather than pleasure. I love grilled foods and steamed vegetables. And a good, crisp salad. I like to make my own dressing.
Sounds delicious! Would you share your homemade salad dressing recipe with us?
I use olive oil, fresh lemons, and Bragg’s aminos, which is a light soy sauce
What’s your guilty-food of choice when you need something sweet?
A slice of chocolate cake. I don’t do well with chocolate because the caffeine keeps me awake at night, but I love it.
Let’s talk about Grease. You must be excited that it’s been re-released.
Very much so. They’ve redone the sound, and the movie is better. Grease was a career high for me. It opened a lot of doors, and I have good memories of it. I meet people every single day who’ve seen it, and there are children who watch the video all the time. Their parents probably want to kill me, because they watch it so much (laughs), but it’s light, harmless, and kids can relate to it.
How do you feel about the Sandra Dee character. Could you relate to her?
I liked her, understood her. She was a goody-two-shoes character, kind of like me in a way.
You’re a goody-two-shoes?
Oh, yes, although I have a little bit of Sandy One and Sandy Two in me. I call the Sandy at the end of the movie Sandy Two because she changes so much. When I put on the clothes for the last scene of the movie, I walked out of my trailer and no one recognized me, but guys were checking me out. I thought, “What have I been doing wrong” (Laughs). But I want to stress that Danny John Travolta did not fall in love with Sandy because of her clothes. He fell in love with what’s inside her.
If you could star in any kind of movie right now, what would you choose?
A great story about the environment, the planet. Or a mother-and-child story.
Have you ever been annoyed with fame?
No. I’ve been very fortunate to have had it. You have to wake up every day and remember who you are, and not believe what’s written about you.
Your life sounds balanced and healthy. How do you feel in your career right now?
Content. I’ve been offered TV roles and there’s talk of me doing some thing, but right now I want to concentrate on the music. I like the journey. It’s the getting there that’s fun. I’ve already done so much that what I’m doing now is the icing on the cake
Heidi Parker is a senior editor at Movieline magazine