diff --git a/packages/blaze/component.js b/packages/blaze/component.js
index d0c49cbc53..a7a12d19b1 100644
--- a/packages/blaze/component.js
+++ b/packages/blaze/component.js
@@ -126,6 +126,8 @@ Blaze.lookup = function (name, component, options) {
     //return Blaze._bindIfIsFunction(component[name], component);
   } else if (isTemplate && _.has(Template, name)) {
     return Template[name];
+  } else if (UI._globalHelpers[name]) {
+    return UI._globalHelpers[name];
   } else {
     var dataVar = Blaze.getCurrentDataVar();
     if (dataVar) {
diff --git a/packages/showdown/template-integration.js b/packages/showdown/template-integration.js
index ff3dd1c1a7..cdede4a784 100644
--- a/packages/showdown/template-integration.js
+++ b/packages/showdown/template-integration.js
@@ -1,12 +1,18 @@
-if (Package.ui) {
-  var UI = Package.ui.UI;
+if (Package.blaze) {
+  var Blaze = Package.blaze.Blaze;
   var HTML = Package.htmljs.HTML; // implied by `ui`
-  Package.ui.UI.registerHelper('markdown', UI.block(function () {
-    var self = this;
-    return function () {
-      var text = UI.toRawText(self.__content, self /*parentComponent*/);
+
+  Blaze.MarkdownComponent = Blaze.Component.extend({
+    constructor: function (dataFunc, contentFunc) {
+      Blaze.MarkdownComponent.__super__.constructor.call(this);
+      this.contentFunc = contentFunc;
+    },
+    render: function () {
+      var text = Blaze.toText(this.contentFunc(), HTML.TEXTMODE.STRING);
       var converter = new Showdown.converter();
       return HTML.Raw(converter.makeHtml(text));
-    };
-  }));
+    }
+  });
+
+  UI.registerHelper("markdown", Blaze.MarkdownComponent.prototype);
 }
diff --git a/packages/ui/handlebars_backcompat.js b/packages/ui/handlebars_backcompat.js
index b089dfd7c3..4e2638dc0f 100644
--- a/packages/ui/handlebars_backcompat.js
+++ b/packages/ui/handlebars_backcompat.js
@@ -1,13 +1,9 @@
 // XXX this file no longer makes sense in isolation.  take it apart as
 // part file reorg on the 'ui' package
-var globalHelpers = {};
+UI._globalHelpers = {};
 
 UI.registerHelper = function (name, func) {
-  globalHelpers[name] = func;
-};
-
-UI._globalHelper = function (name) {
-  return globalHelpers[name];
+  UI._globalHelpers[name] = func;
 };
 
 Handlebars = {};